Ben Goetsch was in virtual attendance at the February 8 meeting of the Shellfish Commission. Goetsch is the aquaculture coordinator for the Rhode Island CoastalResources Management Council (CRMC), and had an abundance of interesting information to share with the shellfish enthusiasts on Block Island.
Goetsch began by explaining a little about what he does for the CRMC. As the aquaculture coordinator, he keeps track of all the leases to farm shellfish in the state.This involves inspecting all the paperwork, performing field checks on the farms, and ensuring that what is permitted on paper is what is being done out on the water. He checks the locations of the farms to make sure they are demarcated in the appropriate spots and told the commission that all the farms are now recorded with GPS coordinates “within a pretty tight tolerance.”
He explained to the group that most issues he encounters are resolved through communication with the farmer, and encouraged the group to contact him with any problems.“It always helps to have an extra set of eyes and ears around,” he said. He also mentioned there is an enforcement arm of the CRMC for serious violations.Though Block Island is pretty far
