Local duck hunters have a unique opportunity to contribute to scientific research this month as University of Rhode Island researchers and their colleagues from three other Rhode Island institutions launch a study examining microplastic contamination in Narragansett Bay waterfowl.
Postdoctoral fellows Tori Mezebish Quinn and Dylan Bakner, along with Professor Scott McWilliams from URI’s Department of Natural Resources Science, are collecting donated duck carcasses to analyze the presence and characteristics of microplastics in the birds’ digestive systems.
The research is part of SIMCoast, a large collaborative effort between URI, Brown University, Rhode Island College and Roger Williams University supported primarily by the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program. The multidisciplinary initiative aims to investigate the presence, distribution, effects and fate of microplastics within Rhode Island’s coastal ecosystem.
Researchers hope the findings will provide local agencies, industries and community organizations with actionable information to guide future plastic pollution mitigation strategies.
How hunters can help
Quinn said the team is seeking donations of whole or breasted-out common eider, red-breasted merganser and bufflehead carcasses harvested in Rhode Island. Hunters can drop off donations on three Saturdays this month: Jan. 3, Jan. 17 and Jan. 31, between noon and 3 p.m.
Drop-off locations include:
- URI Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Road, Kingston
- West Greenwich Park & Ride, 92 New London Turnpike, West Greenwich
- Newport Town Center Park & Ride, 209-221 JT Connell Highway, Newport
Donors should freeze carcasses individually in bags (foil-wrapped if possible) and label them with their name, phone number, species, harvest date, nearest town to the harvest location and approximate distance from that town.
To coordinate delivery or for questions, contact tmezebish@uri.edu or dylan.bakner@uri.edu. For more information about the SIMCoast project, contact McWilliams at srmcwilliams@uri.edu or visit simcoastri.org.