Roger Williams University is spearheading a research initiative aimed at reversing decades of decline in Rhode Island’s quahog fisheries, partnering with state agencies, industry groups and students to bolster wild clam populations in Narragansett Bay.
The university’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development, known as CEED, is leading the effort through a grant funded by the Partnership for Research Excellence in Sustainable Seafood, or PRESS, at the University of Rhode Island’s College of the Environment and Life Sciences, with support from NOAA.
Researchers are collecting quahogs from four locations in and around Narragansett Bay each winter, splitting them into two groups. Half are conditioned as broodstock at CEED’s Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery, while the other half are sent to CEED’s Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory for disease testing.
“The aim of this work is to address commercial and recreational harvester concerns about the declining clam population in Narragansett Bay,” said Robert J. Holmberg, an assistant professor of marine biology and shellfish aquaculture and hatchery specialist at RWU. “They’ve declined over decades due to several factors, but this project specifically focuses on understanding how disease and reproductive health impact quahog populations.”
The testing screens clams for two diseases — Quahog Parasite Unknown, or QPX, and hemocytic neoplasia, a contagious condition similar to leukemia in clams. Neither disease poses a risk to humans, but both can weaken or kill clams.
After spawning at the RWU hatchery, young quahogs are transferred to the Rhode Island Shellfisherman’s Association’s floating upweller nursery in Warwick, where they grow under regular care by CEED’s FerryCliffe Shellfish Farm team. By fall, the clams will be planted in state waters in collaboration with RISA and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for harvest and public benefit.
RWU aims to produce at least 100,000 young quahogs from each population.
“Quahogs are one of Rhode Island’s most valuable commercial fisheries, generating millions of dollars annually,” Holmberg said.
Hatchery Technician Kimberly Soule said the project carries significance beyond the water.
“Recreational clamming is an important part of the state’s culture and coastal economy,” Soule said. “By strengthening wild populations, the project supports local fishermen, protects working waterfronts, and helps stabilize a seafood industry that is vital to Rhode Island’s identity and economy.”
Undergraduate students are involved throughout the project, from field collection and laboratory diagnostics to hatchery production and outplanting, giving them hands-on experience while contributing to applied research.
