Restoration funds: $567,000.
Overview
Restoration efforts were designed to improve
the health of Narragansett Bay by enhancing habitat for lobsters, quahogs (hard clams), and estuarine finfish. To accomplish this objective, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed several restoration actions in partnership with the Rhode Island Sea Grant Program, the University of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Four restoration projects are completed or underway.
NOAA will monitor these projects to ensure that they restore the natural
resources harmed by the spill. Moreover, these innovative projects will help
improve scientific understanding of habitat restoration so that future
environmental damage—whether from oil spills or other causes—can be repaired.
Importance of Restoration Activities
Habitat is home—the complex of natural resources that provides food, shelter,
and breeding areas for living things. Coastal habitat—whether saltmarsh,
tideflat, rocky reef, or sandy beach—is critical to the survival of fish,
shellfish, birds, and other marine resources, and contributes billions of
dollars annually to the U.S. economy.
Human activity continues to affect the quality and quantity of coastal habitat
in Narragansett Bay. Wastewater discharges, runoff, and oil spills pollute
waters and seafood. Coastal development, dredging, and filling destroy areas
where fish, shellfish, and birds live, feed, and breed.
Through restoration, the trustees can fix some of the damage that humans do to
the marine environment so all can continue to enjoy Rhode Island's greatest
natural resource—a clean and healthy Narragansett Bay.
