Bay Scallop Restoration: Economics and the Environment

Karin Tammi, Vice President of Research
The Water Works Group

Karin Tammi earned an MS at URI (1996) and is working to establish a commercial shellfish hatchery with an educational center in Rhode Island. She is a board member of the Northeast Chapter of the Women's Fishery Network. She is writing a scallop cookbook and plans to begin work on her PhD. 

The Water Works Group, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of shellfish, particularly bay scallops, in the coastal communities of southern New England. In 1993, founder and President Wayne Turner initiated the Bay Scallop Restoration Proect (BSRP) to restore this shellfish and to foster public interest in water quality around Westport, Massachusetts. The bay scallop became a symbol of the economic and educational possibilities inherent as we address estuarine pollution. BSRP linked applied shellfish research with classroom lectures and laboratories in area schools.
     As a graduate student in the Department of Fisheries, Animal, and Veterinary Science, I researched the use of spat bags and spawning sanctuaries to restore bay scallop populations for BSRP. Prior to this project, these innovative aquaculture techniques were rarely used in New England waters. While considering a research topic for my thesis, I met Wayne Turner, who was visiting my major advisor, Dr. Michael Rice, to discuss a project he was about to launch in Westport. The result has been a long-term collaboration.
     I completed my master's degree at URI in 1996. My thesis, entitled "Settlement, Recruitment, and Growth of the Bay Scallops, Argopecten irradians, in the Westport River, Massachusetts" identified when bay scallops spawn and the ideal time to deploy artificial collectors called spat bags. BSRP used these methods and, as a result, in 1996, Westport harvested a substantial scallop crop, which indicated a restored population. My initial research was funded by the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Sea Grant programs, the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center, The Sounds Conservancy, and the Turner Family.
     My thesis work became the foundation for BSRP's aquaculture curriculum, which is now taught from kindergarten to twelfth grade. This curriculum emphasizes "hands on" learning and received the Excellence in Environmental Education award from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1995 and recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor in 1996. We even have a mascot called "SEEMORE" Scallop.
     As a student it is important to gain experience in many different areas (i.e., courses, labs, internships and jobs); versatility and experience are valuable. During my graduate studies, I worked as project coordinator for the Zebra Mussel Awareness Program, as a teaching assistant, and as a research assistant for a study of IPNV virus in Atlantic salmon.