Rhode Island Sea Grant to receive funding for research
By The Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ The state’s congressional delegation has announced more than $1.6 million in federal funding to a program that protects coastal and marine resources.
The Rhode Island Sea Grant will put the funds toward the Ocean Special Area Management Plan, which ensures that the new wind turbines off Block Island will have a minimal impact on recreational fishermen and boaters.
The program will also continue its work on the state’s Shellfish Management Plan and the Shoreline Management Plan, which addresses shoreline erosion and sea level rise.
Rhode Island Sea Grant director Dennis Nixon says the grant will help fund study of the changes occurring in Narragansett Bay.
Rhode Island Sea Grant is a federal-state partnership at the University of Rhode Island.
The funding is being administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
© The Associated Press / WLNE-TV 2015
