700 Acres Of Rhode Island Shellfishing Ground Shutting Down: State

PRUDENCE ISLAND, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is preemptively closing 700 acres of shellfishing grounds off Prudence Island.

The shellfishing grounds will close from Saturday to sunrise Aug. 2 "due to the risk of sewage discharge from an expected large gathering of boats ... south and west from Providence Point to the northwest extension of Warner Avenue on Prudence Island," the department said in a statement.

The closure coincides with Aquapalooza, which the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management blamed for the closure of the shellfishing grounds off Prudence Island in 2023.

"The so-called Aquapalooza gathering — an unauthorized, social media-driven event whose organizers remain anonymous, and which is purposely scheduled on the summer’s busiest day on Narragansett Bay — is necessitating the precautionary closure," the department said in a July 2023 statement. "Last year’s event drew more than 1,000 boats and personal watercraft. With so many boats concentrated in such a small area for hours, federal and state public health guidance requires that the shellfish harvest area, which includes all of Potter’s Cove, be closed to protect public health."

This year, the department again cited the need to "protect public health."

"Although most boaters follow RI's 'No Discharge' law, a high concentration of vessels in areas like Potter’s Cove raises the risk of sewage release," the statement said. "With many boats and watercraft concentrated in such a small area for hours, federal and state guidance requires that the shellfish harvest area be closed to protect public health."