Digital Extra

"Due to the unfortunate grounding of the North Cape oil barge, there is tremendous concern regarding the quality and safety of local fresh-caught lobsters, shellfish and fin fish," it reads, going on to explain that everything for sale here is perfectly safe.

Besides selling fresh fish, Dan Montmarquet, the owner, also operates a small restaurant, offering chowder, quahogs and fish and chips, among other things. But the green cloth-covered tables are empty at lunchtime.

Montmarquet says business has definitely been affected by the Jan. 19 oil spill. "People are still concerned," he says.

And while business is generally slow this time of year, it's worse than it really should be.

"It's a psychological thing," he says. Customers see the news and get scared. "It's an understandable reaction."

"At first there were some tense days," Montmarquet said, "Now we're taking it in stride." But he hopes sales will get back to normal before too long.

He said the spill has forced him to go elsewhere for lobster and other shellfish. Normally, he relies on the area fishing industry for about 50 percent of his supply. Now he is getting about 25 percent of his shellfish from the local area -- seafood that he says is absolutely safe. He is tacking on an extra 50 cents a pound to offset the higher price of importing his wares.

"If I'm going to put out tainted products, it's going to put me out of business," Montmarquet said.

The state Economic Development Commission is working to help out businessmen like Montmarquet by trying to clean up the oil-stained image of the local fishing industry.

For the past week, local television stations have been airing a public service announcement in which Governor Almond stresses that all fish from Rhode Island seafood dealers and stores is safe.

"We are making the point that no tainted seafood has gotten into the marketplace. Rhode Island seafood is known for quality not quantity," said Eric Anderson, associate deputy director of the commission.

The state also has set up a Business Recovery Center in the Stedman Government Center in Wakefield. Representatives from Fleet Bank and the Small Business Administration have been there since Jan. 26, offering low-interest loans of up to $25,000 to local businesses and fishermen affected by the spill. As of Friday, 290 fishermen have applied for assistance.

"The stigma is the tough part," said Peter Sebring, of Diamond Seafood in Point Judith. "We are losing money."

Due to the publicity about the spill nationwide, it has been increasingly difficult to sell yellowtail flounder or codfish, he said. Despite the fact these fish are caught in areas south of Block Island, buyers are wary, said Sebring, who estimates sales are off by about 25 percent. "Obviously, no restaurant wants to serve something that would hurt someone and mar its good name . . . the last thing we need is a bad name for Rhode Island."

Scott Westcott, a fisherman on the trawler Zella out of Galilee, said the biggest problem now is the time it takes to haul in a catch and get back out to sea. This is because they have to unload their catch by hand rather than using the pumps in port. The pumps require sea water, drawn from the harbor, which is contaminated.

"Where it normally takes three hours to unload, now it takes six," said Westcott. And, he said, the price is "definitely affected."

"Fluke that would get $2.20 a pound is now getting $1.10 a pound. . . . when the price of fish goes down, our income goes down," he said. Also, boats are spending more on fuel as they travel farther out to sea to get outside the area where fishing has been banned because of the spill.