May 13, 2026 — Rhode Island quahoggers are facing mounting financial losses following a sewage spill that forced the closure of key shellfishing waters in the Providence River.
“It’s gut-wrenching,” said quahogger Jim Boyd.
“Devastated, to be honest with you,” added full-time commercial shellfisherman Dave Ghigliotty.
The May 4 spill, caused by a broken pipe in East Providence, released 880,000 gallons of sewage into Narragansett Bay, according to Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management (DEM). In response, the DEM closed the 16E shellfishing area, one of the most productive clam beds in the state.
Fishermen say the difference between Area 16E and the rest of the bay is dramatic.
“It’s three to four times better than any of the areas that we can fish,” said Michael McGiveney, President of the Rhode Island Shellfisherman’s Association.
“There’s more quahogs there,” Ghigliotty explained. “There’s more fishing, there’s more ground, there’s more virgin territory.”
Area 16E is located in the waters between Warwick’s Conimicut and Barrington’s Annawomscutt neighborhoods. The territory was closed for decades because of pollution, but after extensive cleanup efforts by the Narragansett Bay Commission, the area was deemed clean enough for shellfishing five years ago, according to the Providence Journal. Since the area had been closed off for so long, the shellfish populations are more robust, explained McGiveney.