http://pbn.com/detail.html?sub_id=9871f164ed9a&page=1
In the last few years, there has been a growing concern in Rhode Island about the expansion of oyster farms. Some people have expressed their need for a “plan for aquaculture”, especially in Rhode Islands coastal ponds.
A group has come up with a plan, limiting each body of water in the state, to a maximum 5% aquaculture by acreage. This nice round number was chosen claiming that the carrying capacity (maximum numbers of animals or biomass that can be supported by a given ecosystem for a given time) of shellfish in a given body of water, if at 5% or less, would not negatively affect the surrounding environment.
Shellfish aquaculture is great for the environment when shellfish, especially oysters, filter thousands of pounds of nitrogen from the water. Oyster farms create many jobs, and there are presently 30 farms in RI.
In a world where the need for jobs, food, and a healthier environment exist, a cap has been created to limit the amount of area and therefore production of what many people believe to be the tastiest shellfish in the world.