The one thing we can be sure of for the 2009 field season is a much larger need for volunteers. If you are interested in spending some time on the water providing a helping hand in making the Little Narragansett Bay ecosystem a happier, healthier place, contact Stonington Shellfish Commission Chairman Donald Murphy at [email protected].

For 2009, the Commission intends to expand the scope of the project to get 7,500 adult scallops onto the study site in Little Narragansett Bay. The hope is that this larger number of adults will produce a larger "set" of spat, which will enhance the overall goals of the project. Furthermore, the Commission intends to procure the adult scallops earlier in the season, preferably during late April or early May, and to have them settled at the study site by mid-May. The hope is that the timing will be such that a major spring spawning event will be undertaken by the adults, thus propagating improved results with regard to spat collection later in the season.