A lone quahogger plies his trade at the mouth of the Potowomut River, in Warwick. The pickings there are great, thanks to a seeding project that was begun in 2004 by the Rhode Island Shellfishermen’s Association and Roger Williams University researchers.

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

WARWICK

In 2004, the Rhode Island Shellfishermen’s Association teamed up with researchers at Roger Williams University to replenish Narragansett Bay’s quahog population. Now fishermen are reaping the benefits of a continuing effort to seed local waters with hundreds of thousands of baby quahogs.

In December, the state Department of Environmental opened the planting area at the mouth of the Potowomut River, in Warwick, to harvesting. A survey by Roger Williams biologist Dale Leavitt found that nearly one-third of the area’s catch thus far was planted in 2004.

“When we teamed together to create the Rhode Island Aquaculture Initiative, we knew this was a smart investment, and now it is paying off,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, who helped secure $1.5 million in federal funds to start the project. “Rhode Island’s fishermen are essential to our economy, and this enhancement program has certainly moved the quahog population in the right direction.”

The 700,000 seed quahogs that were used in the initial round were grown at an underwater nursery. Just a half-inch in size at the time, the quahogs now measure about 2½ inches. Shellfishermen distinguish the planted clams by special markings on the outside of their shells.

Roger Williams and the Shellfishermen’s Association has continued the seeding program, planting between 500,000 and 750,000 quahogs in select locations around Narragansett Bay every year.