Oh, See Sealia - Tides

By Eric Pfirrmann, fleet captain and education specialist

What does a hands-on education program do when winter rolls around and the environment gets cold? We go outside, of course!

Nature doesn’t take the winter off, so neither do we. Many plants are dormant. Many animals migrate south for warmer climes. By late fall, our trawls come up cold and empty. Salinity and oxygen levels in the water become less stratified. Plankton becomes scarce. But luckily for us, while some animals migrate out of our area in the winter, others migrate in. Schools of herring travel down from Maine and the Canadian coast to make the Bay and Rhode Island Sound their winter home. Harbor seals follow this plentiful food source and have become a prime focus of our outdoor winter education program.

Save The Bay’s education arm, also known as Explore The Bay, began developing our seal program 15 years ago, soon after a gift from the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust gave us our first education vessel, the M/V Alletta Morris. With Alletta, we had a way to show our students real seals in their natural habitat, without having to trudge a mile through the snow. Departing from Newport, we can easily reach the seals and return to the dock in an hour, keeping our students warm in all but the coldest conditions. We call it our Seal Switch program.

Top right: Save The Bay’s Celina Segala introduces our life-sized 

seal model, Sealia. Above: Sixth-and seventh-graders from The Rectory School 

in Pomfret, Connecticut learn about harbor seals from Save The Bay’s 

education team during a visit in March. 

From the start, we paired our school seal watch trip with our “Sealia” outreach program. Sealia is our life-sized, anatomically-correct seal model, complete with a zipper for exploring her internal anatomy. Together, our educators and students investigate the adaptations that harbor seals use in order to survive and thrive in cold water. With pelts on loan from the National Marine Fisheries Service, students can see and touch actual seal fur, discovering what it means to have fur so dense it is waterproof. Using everyday objects to mimic seal adaptations, such as swim fins for flippers, sweaters for blubber, ponchos for waterproof fur and goggles for the mucus layer that allows seals to see clearly underwater, students get to “dress like a seal” to learn both the similarities and the differences between humans and seals.

“Sealia” has always been a staple of our in-school outreach programs,

but combining the in-classroom learning with an on-the-water seal watch takes it to an entirely different level. Just a short ride out from our dock in Newport is one of Narragansett Bay’s best seal haul-out sites. There, we can reliably find seals throughout the seal season from November to April, but it is not a zoo. Students see seals resting on rocks. They see them bottling or swimming in the water. They count the seals as part of our monitoring program. This is a brand new experience for almost all of them, discovering a new animal practically in their backyard.

Local elementary school students explore Narragansett Bay and
look for harbor seals aboard Save The Bay’s M/V Elizabeth Morris.

A prime goal of environmental education is to link classroom learning to the real world. Our seal program does that in just two hours. Students learn about camouflage, then see it in action. They learn about the insulating properties of blubber, then experience it in person with a “blubber glove” and a bucket of cold Bay water. They feel the cold air and water, yet they see another mammal living and thriving in it thanks to adaptations we humans lack. Direct classroom-to-real-world connections.

But beyond great teaching methodology, the seal program is just full of wonder. No one can forget the first time they see a seal. Big, cute, sometimes funny, seals spark something in all of us. For our students, they make a real connection with the Bay. And for us educators, the joy and excitement our students feel is infectious.

A Day With The Dogfish Shark

By Phoebe Finn, communications intern

I spent a lot of time with the sharks during my day of volunteering at Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium. For some reason, I was drawn to them—how they swam so effortlessly, the way other people approached their tank and they fact that they came right out of Narragansett Bay.

“Do you want to see some sharks?” I would ask the little kids as they walked into the back room of the aquarium. Most of them would freak out, either with excitement or nervousness. I enjoyed watching their faces shift as they ascended the wooden steps and peered into the tank of Smooth and Chain Dogfish sharks.

The Chain dogfish are nocturnal, so they slept in a group on the floor of the tank as the one Smooth Dogfish swam laps above them. Her constant circles around the top of the four-foot circular tank seemed effortless. She would occasionally poke her nose out of the water, and after a few minutes of shark tank duty, I realized that she was saying “hi” to me.

She seemed to like me, and I definitely liked her. I loved being able to teach other curious people about the sharks, and I could even throw in some shark-petting, which really impressed people. I told them that the one swimming shark was a couple of years old and that in a few weeks she would be released back into Narragansett Bay, where she will grow much bigger.

Everyone tried to touch the shark as she swam by them, never stopping her circular laps. The excited little fingers seemed to scare her off as she dove deeper into the tank, but she always came up for my hand. One youngster even stuck around for a half hour, unsuccessfully trying for chance to pet her.

Despite my being an intern at the Save The Bay headquarters in Providence, I felt like a real shark tank expert! People would ask me questions, and I tried to sound knowledgeable, but usually leaned over to a regular Exploration Center docent for the correct answer. All of the employees made my experience, and especially my time with the sharks, so enjoyable. The fun learning environment made it easy for me to jump in and quickly become an expert on all of the native species. I will definitely be going back to the Exploration Center and Aquarium to visit my Dogfish friends and brush up on my marine biology facts!

A Whole New World

By Julia Akerman, Communications Intern

I live in a world of writing, media, and chaos. In other words, the world of public relations. As a communications intern at Save The Bay, I write blogs, press releases, and update media lists, all from the inside of a cube on a computer. I was lucky enough to leave my beloved cube for a day and take a field trip to explore a different component of Save The Bay. I volunteered at the Exploration Center in Newport, and I had an amazing experience.

The moment I opened the door, I felt like I was inside an aquarium. Kids were pointing at the tanks with excitement, and aquarists were describing exotic critters with words I didn’t know existed. Everywhere I looked, eyes from different types of critters glaring at me. I immediately became intrigued and excited for the day I had ahead of me.

The day began with an amazing start at admissions, because the open doors provided a cool ocean breeze and breathtaking views of the beautiful Easton’s Beach in Newport. Families came rushing in throughout the morning, the kids tugging on their parents’ arms, begging them to hurry up so they could go explore inside.

For the rest of the day, I was inside the Exploration Center stationed at the unique touch tanks. The first touch tank was crawling with horseshoe crabs and hovering skates. One by one, curious children popped their heads over the edge to see the horseshoe crabs, their eyes lighting up with excitement. To my surprise, many children were afraid of the horseshoe crabs, because they thought their spikey tails were harmful. I helped the courageous children hold the horseshoe crabs and shared with them that the tail’s purpose is to help the horseshoe crab flip over if they land on their backs.

I ended my day with my favorite exhibit, the shark touch tank. This touch tank interested me the most, because not only was it cool to observe the behaviors of the sharks, but also to see the reactions of visitors at the tank. When people first approached the tank, they were hesitant but very curious at the same time. After studying the sharks, a few daring souls gathered enough courage to stick their hands down to touch them. Witnessing this experience for people was amazing because I know many people fear sharks and, here they began to realize that the violent image society has painted about sharks - happens to be false.

My experience at the Exploration Center was unforgettable. I was fascinated to see so many different species of animals in the aquariums and to know that they were all found in the Narragansett Bay. I am thankful that I can return to my beloved cube and share my experience with all of you. Thanks to Save The Bay, the public is welcome to learn more about Narragansett Bay’s marine life at this amazing facility on Easton’s Beach and to help support its mission to protect and improve the Narragansett Bay area.

Critter Tales - The Dinosaur of Narragansett Bay

By Julia Akerman, Communications Intern

First of all, you may be thinking, “Wait, there were dinosaurs in Narragansett Bay? What?!” It’s true, there were, and still are. I’m talking about a small, brown marine species related to scorpions and spiders.

The Atlantic horseshoe crab has roamed the ocean floor for over 360 million years. These living fossils have survived for decades thanks to their brown, helmet-like shell that protects its vital organs from any potential predators. While its spiny tail is commonly mistaken by people as a weapon for defense, it’s actually just used to flip themselves over. If you keep your eyes open, you can encounter these critters anywhere along the coast of the Narragansett Bay. From personal experience, these prehistoric creatures are amusing to watch as they dwell in their environments.

Growing up by the Long Island Sound, another home to the Atlantic horseshoe crab, I spent most of my free time competing with my siblings to see who could find the coolest critter on the beach. I was walking along the coast one day and spotted a dark figure in the murky water. I moved closer and noticed a spikey tail that immediately scared the living daylights out of me. I managed to gather enough courage to pick it up and to my surprise it was a horseshoe crab. I became fascinated with the creature.

When I volunteered at Save The Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium this summer, I was excited to be assigned to the skate and horseshoe crab touch tank, because I finally got the opportunity to learn some more about the prehistoric creatures and relive my unforgettable childhood encounter at the beach. I learned that horseshoe crabs are scavengers, prowling the ocean floor for food such as small clams, worms and other invertebrates. They have five pairs of legs that are used for walking and pushing food closer to their mouths. I found that the horseshoe crabs’ gills were its coolest characteristic. Fun fact: another name for these gills is “book gills” because they are similar to the pages of a book and allow the horseshoe crab to breathe under water as well as on land for a short period of time as long as the gills remain moist. If you ever want to impress your family or friends by telling the difference between a male and female, just keep in mind that females are bigger than males and the first pair of appendages for a female are pincers, while the first pair for males are claws that resemble boxing gloves.

Throughout the day at the aquarium, curious guests visited the touch tank waiting their turn to hold the horseshoe crabs and learn more about them. A handful of people were nervous at first but as I shared more knowledge about the creature, their fascination grew which reminded me of myself when I was younger. Most of the horseshoe crabs brought in to the Exploration Center suffer from poor health conditions. One horseshoe crab in the tank is a lot smaller than the others, as he got older he never grew in size. If you visit the Exploration Center don’t hesitate to ask about him! Don’t miss out on this opportunity because like the other critters at the aquarium, once his health is restored, he will be released back into the Narragansett Bay.

Learn more about these living fossils at the Save The Bay Exploration Center and Aquarium in Newport, and enjoy an unforgettable, hands-on experience with our expert aquarists! We are located on Easton’s Beach at 175 Memorial Blvd and open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. every day!

A Hidden Treasure

By Bay Gammans, communications intern

I’m shocked as my GPS tells me to pull into the parking lot at Easton’s Beach, Newport. I’ve been to this beach countless times, and not once have I noticed the Save The Bay Exploration Center sign. Who would guess that this brick rotunda building held a 1500 square foot aquarium?

I’m a summer communications intern at Save The Bay, giving me a chance to volunteer at the Save The Bay Exploration Center. I was luck enough to volunteer on the same day Sowams Elementary School kindergarteners explored the aquarium. Seeing the excitement and interest in their eyes, only magnified my own.

My favorite tank station was the little skate and horseshoe crab touch tank. The little skate exhibit was of special interest to me, because a visitor can see the full life cycle of the creature. A tank to the side of the touch tank holds mermaid purse eggs getting ready to hatch. The little skates will incubate for 9 to 10 months in this tank, until they hatch. Once they hatch they move to a tank directly beside it until they are big enough to move to the touch tank or be released.

A visitor may notice that there is a lighter type of egg also kept in that same hatching tank, these are the chain catsharks’. While I was volunteering at the shark touch tank, I was lucky enough to see a chain catshark in the process of laying an egg, which they lay in pairs.

The day of my visit to the aquarium must have been lucky, because I was also able to see a spider crab clean her eggs. Spider crab mothers incubate their eggs in their stomach until they hatch. During this time the spider crab will clean and check their eggs, removing ones that are no longer fertile.

I have recently become weary of zoos and aquariums. I was relieved to hear not only that all of the creatures in the exploration center are local, but that many are also released once they have recovered from injuries or are big enough to survive in the wild, only kept there if they can’t survive otherwise. For example, the Exploration Center has one tank with tropical fish that have drifted on the Gulf Stream into the Bay and would not survive the cold winter waters in the wild.

The cozy area holding the aquarium creates a unique and personalized experience. A volunteer or intern is always available to hand a visitor one of their critters, while teaching them more about what lives right outside their door. Save The Bay’s Exploration Center truly is a hidden treasure.

Why Does Bowser Have a Shell? - Save The Bay Podcast 23

This October at Save The Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium, the amazing adaptations of its residents are on display. Visitors will learn about unique animal adaptations, enjoy an interactive story time and go searching around the Aquarium during an adaptation-themed scavenger hunt. Guests also can engage in a unique arts and crafts project creating their own adaptation that they believe would help them survive in Narragansett Bay.

Reflecting on my Summer Internship at Save The Bay

Timothy Belliveau, Save The Bay development intern

As I reflect on my summer with Save The Bay and the community I’ve become so close with over the past months, I’m grasped by a pungent sense of gratitude. The experience I’ve taken away from my summer program has been admittedly, one I could not foresee in the closing months of the academic year. In my search for a summer internship, I held preconceived perceptions of necessary dues rather than the meaningful and the rewarding experience that I’ve been fortunate enough to have with Save The Bay.

The early stages of the summer taught how a non-profit organization works, and more specifically, the immense volume of aptitude and commitment required for that organization to answer the calls of its mission. In Save The Bay’s case, these answers come in variable formats; in the research required to develop proper means of response towards the issues threatening the Bay’s health and protection, in the fostering and growth of the intimate relationships that make our mission possible, and in the affirmation of those works, seen in events such as the Ninigret Marsh Project, where the Rhode Island community conjoined to plant 23,000 plugs of spartina grass in a rejuvenation effort.

My internship allowed me to spend my hours volunteering at the Ninigret Marsh Project to see first-hand, the impact of our everyday work at the Bay Center. That experience instilled me and my work with a sense of importance, and from that experience, I saw every interaction and task, direct or otherwise, holding a tangible effect on the prosperity of Rhode Island’s landscapes. It’s easy to become lost in the fog cast by the steps necessary for the success of an end goal. That’s why seeing the instillation of a sea of green to a formerly desert marsh, left a potent impression on the forthcoming tasks, regardless of stature.

A year ago, I would look over Narragansett Bay in awe of its sublime beauty and wonder of its stories. Now, I know. The Bay is truly a life-force in multiple manners of the expression. Not only does it sustain the life of our home’s natural organisms, but it provides immense economic stimulation, catalyzes our community’s culture and social architecture, and therefore, acts as a mine for seemingly indirect elements such as social programs. These realizations were made definitive and evident through lessons taught at events such as Taste of The Bay, CVS Green-Expo and Environmental Day at Narragansett Beach. Becoming literate in the impact and influence of the Bay has provided perspective of the true reach of the body, in contrast to the singular vantage point I held as I marveled at the Bay’s sheer magnificence. Finding meaning, education, and growth in a summer program is something I haven’t taken for granted. I’d like to thank Save The Bay for providing me this internship experience which I’ve truly cherished.

Minding the Fisheries - Tides

By Rebecca Proulx, communications intern

Save The Bay’s mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay goes well beyond our fight for water quality sufficient to realize our vision for a fully swimmable, fishable Bay. Our mission extends into the realm of species protection as well, because native many native species play important and interdependent roles in both water quality and ecosystem health. In recent years, we’ve been focused on four species: the Atlantic menhaden, river herring, American eel and horseshoe crabs.

The Most Important Fish in the Sea
The Atlantic menhaden is called the “most important fish in the sea.” A member of the herring family, the species is well known as a critical food source for some of America’s most precious ocean wildlife, including humpback whales and osprey. Menhaden are a key food group for many fish at the heart of our local recreational fishing industry, including striped bass and bluefish. But this tiny fish also plays an immense role in the ecosystems and water quality of Narragansett Bay and its watershed.

Above: Save The Bay docents teach visitors 

at the Exploration Center & Aquarium about 

the importance of horseshoe crabs. 

Top right: Atlantic menhaden. 

A single menhaden can clean up to four gallons of water per minute as it grazes on algae and other plankton organisms. Called filter feeders, menhaden in healthy populations consume large volumes of plankton, helping to remove excess nutrients from the water, preventing excessive algae growth, and ensuring the water has enough sunlight and oxygen to maintain marine life below the surface.

Save The Bay advocates for a robust and sustainable menhaden population, lest we lose the valuable water quality and ecosystem impacts of these tiny fish. “We must shift the fisheries’ focus from taking just enough menhaden to avoid wiping out the population, to leaving a substantial population not only for future harvest but for the filtration of our water,” says Save The Bay Executive Director Jonathan Stone.

Unfortunately, what seems broadly obvious is a daunting challenge, because menhaden are the most heavily com-mercially-fished species in the Atlantic region. They are factory-processed for oil, protein meal, and solubles, and used for bait in both commercial and recreational fishing. While the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Fish and Wildlife Division has made strides in recent years to tighten regulations on commercial fishing in the area, menhaden are persistently overfished by commercial interests in other areas. In the Chesapeake Bay region, for example, Omega Protein, a single company in Reedville, Virginia, currently dominates the market, controlling 85 percent of the available catch.

By promoting an ecosystem-based approach to preserving the resources of Narragansett Bay, Save The Bay has been pushing for stricter catch regulations to support not only water quality, but also predator species up the food chain. According to Stone, Save The Bay has “made written proposals to the R.I. Marine Fisheries Commission, advocating for the elimination of all purse-seining in local waters and an increase in the baseline threshold of menhaden biomass observed in state waters before commercial harvest can commence.” We have also taken the issue to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, according to Stone.

Save The Bay has also been working to obtain funding for a research team to collect updated evidence on menhaden’s role in removing and transporting nitrogen from the water column. “This study could have profound implications up and down the East Coast given that menhaden act as a primary food source to countless fish and bird species and also function in the vital role as a filter fish to preserve the cleanliness of our waters, two jobs that should be of concern to all of us,” said Stone.

The Oldest Creature on Earth
Horseshoe crabs are among the oldest unchanged living species on earth and culturally iconic to Narragansett Bay. They are important commercially as bait for eel and conch fisheries, an important food source for many migratory shorebirds and finfish, and vital to Bay and salt pond ecosystems. T h e s e prehistoric arthropods also play a significant role in the biomedical industry, because their unique, bright blue blood has remarkable antibacterial properties used to detect dangerous bacteria in intravenous solutions, medical devices and vaccines.

Overharvesting, however, threatens to reverse 450 million years of survival for the Atlantic horseshoe crab. Its population in Rhode Island has dramatically declined since the 1970s and still has not recovered. Nearly 20 years ago, Save The Bay advocated for stricter limits on harvesting horseshoe crabs, based on strong evidence of overfishing, and has enthusiastically played an active role in preserving the species ever since. Unfortunately, the species failed to recover after DEM first imposed conservation measures in 2000.

Save The Bay has continued to lobby for stricter horseshoe crab regulations, and this winter, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management’s Division of Fish and Wildlife proposed new changes, to try, once again, to reverse the decline in population. Our team sprang into action, not only to support DEM’s efforts against opposition, but also to call for an even longer spawning closure, taking into account new data about climate change impacts on the horseshoe crab spawning season. We submitted two letters to DEM urging tighter restrictions on the horseshoe crab fishery. We met with DEM staff, and participated in a public comment meeting, a public hearing, and a R.I. Marine Fisheries council meeting. And we issued a press release drawing media and public attention to the importance of protecting this fishery.

As it now stands, DEM is enforcing stricter catch limits on crabs per person and requiring commercial fisheries to report all their catches. DEM also extended the spawning closure period from just a few days to four weeks, from May 1 to May 31, so the crabs can spawn throughout the month of May without threat of being harvested for bait. While this isn’t the full six weeks we asked for, “we consider the latest regulatory changes an important step in the right direction, but will continue to advocate for stricter limits in the coming years,” said Stone.

Research has found that horseshoe crab spawning appears to be triggered more by water temperature than by the highest tides associated with the new and full moons. “In 2014, warmer water temperatures triggered horseshoe crab spawning in April, and the bait quota was exhausted by the beginning of May, prior to the existing regulatory spawning closures. Even the new, longer closure period will not fully protect spawning crabs from harvest,” Stone said. “DEM must extend the closure into April if it is to fulfill its statutory duty to protect the species and allow it to regenerate.”

Where the River Meets the Bay
Further up the watershed, the American eel and river herring populations suffer not only from overfishing and poaching, but also from loss of spawning habitat resulting from some 600 dams in Rhode Island and more than 3,000 in Massachusetts.

This fish ladder in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, allows river herring 

and shad to reach Shad Factory Pond.

American eels are a highly valued member of the food web, an important food source for numerous fish and birds, such as striped bass and osprey. They are catadromous fish, which means they live in our freshwater rivers and migrate to the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to spawn. The juveniles return each spring to repeat the cycle. The anadromous river herring, on the other hand, spend their lives in the sea and return to our freshwater rivers to spawn. As forage fish, river herring help keep the Bay clean by consuming plankton, and, like the American eel, are also a main food group for ospreys, striped bass and other predators. In order to fulfill their natural benefit to our ecosystem, however, these fish must be able to access the habitat important to their life cycles. No matter which direction the fish are going, dam construction, culverts and habitat degradation have taken a toll on both herring and eel populations.

Save The Bay is conducting an eel monitoring project this spring at the Rising Sun Mills to be vigilant in conserving their numbers. While overall, the American eel population in Rhode Island is solid, “the species is much smaller than it has been in years past,” says Save The Bay Riverkeeper Rachel Calabro. Calabro says that Save TheBay will be working with the DEM Fish and Wildlife Division on the project, using ramps to collect and count the eels.

Working with partners in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Save The Bay has endeavored to build fish ladders and remove dams wherever possible to restore these historically and ecologically important species to their natural habitat. “On the lower part of the Ten Mile River, for example, we built three fish ladders that opened up 340 acres of spawning habitat that can support more then 200,000 herring,” Calabro said. Along the Pawcatuck River, project partners removed the Lower Shannock Falls Dam, and in the Taunton River watershed, which has the region’s largest herring run, we have worked with the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration on several dam removal projects.

Our mission is to protect and improve Narragansett Bay. Our ecosystem-based approach to doing that means we have cultivated a rich history in championing the full array of interactions and interdependencies within Narragansett Bay that contribute to water quality. Menhaden, river herring, American eel and horseshoe crabs are all important species in our mission to achieve a swimmable, fishable, healthy Narragansett Bay. We will continue to fight for them as strongly as we have fought many battles since 1970.

Critter Tales - The Common Spider Crab

By Ryan Ledoux, communications intern

The common spider crab, also called the nine-spined spider crab, is an animal found in abundance at the Save the Bay Exploration Center. Right when you walk in, you will have an opportunity to see and hold these often concealed species. As with most crab species, people are hesitant to touch them, but these at the aquarium are safe to hold, and although they look frightening, they actually move quite slow and have a unique spiny feel when you get them in your hand.

The spider crab mostly gets a bad rap due to its name and tough looking exterior, but in reality these guys are some of the most non-threatening scavengers in the Bay! These animals can get up to about 4 inches wide with their legs stretching to almost a foot long. Spider Crabs really aren’t picky eaters and often eat up already dead things, helping clean the bay in the process. Possessing very poor vision Spider Crabs rely on sensory organs at the end of each of their legs, which can identify food as they walk over it! This comes in handy considering their claws aren’t nearly as strong as some other crab species.

The spider crab has been an inhabitant of these waters for millions of years and are considered one of the Narragansett Bay’s oldest living fossils. The body of the crab has seen very little change over this time period, proving they’re destined to stay and continue to thrive in these waters. If you do happen to startle one of these crabs, they will let you know that you are getting too close by waving their pincers over their heads in a defensive manner.

They are also masters of disguise, often burying themselves in the sand and using their khaki and mud color to blend in with their surroundings. Surprisingly, these crabs can be found at depths most humans rarely venture, deep as 50 meters! Being an avid diver myself, I have mistakenly put my hand on a Spider Crab while it was hiding on the ocean floor! It was a sight to see the crab jump out of the sand and scurry off to a new location far away from me.

The spider crab is a mainstay in Narragansett Bay and can be found in any nook and cranny looking for its next meal. Give them a chance and you’ll be amazed by their cunning nature! To see them in person, stop by Save The Bay’s Exploration Center on Easton’s Beach at 175 Memorial Blvd. Hope to see you soon!

The Aquarium is full of Captivating Crustaceans this September - Save The Bay Podcast 022

Crustaceans, which have 50,000 known species, are members of a group called arthropods, which includes lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. With segmented bodies, exoskeletons and open circulatory systems, arthropods are unique creatures that are more closely related to insects than they are to other species of crustaceans! Guests can find a variety of these armored arthropods at the Exploration Center and Aquarium.