[CLOSED CAPTIONING HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY CARDI'S FURNITURE AND MATTRESSES] >> EVERY PATIENT I CARE FOR IS LIKE TAKING CARE OF MY OWN CHILD.

I AM A NURSING ASSISTANT AT WEST BAND.

>> I HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE PIC YOU FOR 10 YEARS.

I LOVE THE MIRACLES THAT WE SEE.

IT IS SO REWARDING.

THE FAMILIES WE GET TO HELP.

THEY PUT THEIR CHILD IN OUR HANDS.

WE HAVE TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT THEM AND TAKE CARE OF THEM.

TO DELIVER HEALTH WITH CARE.

[CLOSED CAPTIONING HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY CARDI'S FURNITURE AND MATTRESSES] >> TONIGHT ON "PBS WEEKLY."

>> WHENEVER YOU HAVE A HEALTHY OYSTER BED, ANYTHING THAT DEPENDS ON IT IS BETTER.

>> OYSTERS RESTORE MARINE ENVIRONMENTS.

BUT DID NOT STOP SKEPTICS WHO THOUGHT THE RESURGENCE OF OYSTERS WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

WHAT DID PEOPLE SAY WHEN YOU SAID WE ARE GOING TO BRING OYSTERS TO THE RIVER.

>> A LOT OF PEOPLE LAUGHED AT US.

>> THEY SAID WE WERE CRAZY.

>> THE COVID LIMIT WAS 500 CLAMS A DAY.

NOW IT IS BACK TO 12 BUSHELS A DAY.

THIS TRIP, YOU WON'T EVEN GET HALF.

NOTHING EASIEST WAY TO EARN A FEW CLAMS EVEN IN A GOOD YEAR.

♪ MICHELLE: GOOD EVENING.

.

WELCOME TO RHODE ISLAND "PBS WEEKLY."

I AM PAMELA WATTS.

DAVID: I AM DAVID WRIGHT.

JONATHAN SWIFT ONCE SAID HE WAS A BOLD MAN WHO FIRST ATE AN OYSTER.

THESE DAYS, FOLKS AT RA BARS ACROSS THE U.S.

SEEM TO HAVE PLENTY OF COURAGE.

AMERICANS CONSUME 2 BILLION POUNDS OF SHELLFISH, BY SOME ESTIMATES, EACH YEAR.

PAMELA: FOR THESE MIGHTY ORSER'S ARE SERVED, THEY SPEND THEIR LIVES BOOSTING HABITATS AND FILTERING WATER IN LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS.

AND AS ASSOCIATE PRODUCER ISABELLA JIBILIAN FIRST REPORTED LAST NOVEMBER FOR OUR CONTINUING GREEN SECRET SERIES, IT HAS BEEN A LONG AND BUMPY RIDE FOR THIS GROWING AND -- GROWING ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERSTAR.

>> YOU LIFT THE SHELL OFF.

AND THERE IS A PERFECTLY SHOCKED OYSTER.

ISABELLA: BOBROW IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OYSTERS GROWER ASSOCIATION.

>> OYSTERS HAVE A LONG HISTORY IN THE U.S.

THEY SUSTAINED A LOT OF THE SETTLERS BECAUSE IT WAS EASY TO CATCH AN OYSTER.

THEY DON'T RUN AWAY.

THE INDIANS WERE HARVESTING IT WELL BEFORE WE GOT HERE.

THERE ARE PILES OF SHELLS THAT ARE THE SIZE OF SEVERAL FOOTBALL FIELDS, SEVERAL FEET DEEP FROM WHEN THE INDIANS USED TO EAT THEM.

ISABELLA: THE OYSTER BUSINESS PEAKED IN THE LATE 1800S, IN PLACES LIKE NEW ORLEANS, BALTIMORE, AND NEW YORK CITY.

>> THEY USED TO HARVEST THE OYSTERS AND HOLD THEM IN THE EAST RIVER SO THAT THEY WOULD BE NICE AND FRESH.

BUT THE EAST RIVER WAS ALSO WHERE THEY DUMPED ALL OF THEIR WASTE.

IT WAS AROUND THAT TIME THAT THEY DISCOVERED BACTERIA CAUSED DISEASE.

SO THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE DYING FROM EATING THESE CONTAMINATED OYSTERS.

WHEN THEY DISCOVERED THE OYSTERS WERE KILLING THEM, IT QUICKLY ERADICATED THE MARKET.

ISABELLA: BY THE END OF THE 1920'S, THE INDUSTRY HAD COLLPSED.

FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS, IT LANGUISHED, FACING OTHER MAJOR PROBLEMS INCLUDING LABOR SHORTAGES AND INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION.

IN 1972, OYSTERS GOT A BOOST WHEN CONGRESS PASSED A COMPREHENSIVE PIECE OF LEGISLATION DESIGNED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.

>> THE CLEAN WATER ACT WAS HUGE BECAUSE IT FUNDED WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY.

IT REALLY MANDATED THAT WE NOT PUT POLLUTANTS IN OUR RIVERS AND STREAMS AND INTO THE OCEAN.

ISABELLA: THE NEW LAW COULD NOT PROTECT OYSTERS FROM A DEADLY DISEASE THAT BEGAN IN THE SOUTH AND QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT EAST COAST WATERWAYS.

PARTICULARLY HARD-HIT WAS THE HAMMOND ASSET RIVER IN CONNECTICUT.

>> THE DIE OFF WAS DRAMATIC.

ISABELLA: 10 VIA A ZANE LONG TIME OYSTER MEN, IN THE COORDINATE -- THE COORDINATOR IN NEW HAVEN.

A CENTURY AGO, THIS AREA WAS KNOWN AS OYSTER POINT.

TODAY'S WATERS STREET WAS JUST THAT.

WATER.

>> THAT AROUND HERE WE ESTIMATE WAS THE ACTUAL SHORELINE.

THIS IS WHERE THE HIGH TIDE CAME UP.

WE HAVE PICTURES OF OYSTER BOATS IN THE STREET AREA OFFLOADING INTO THESE HOUSES.

>> AND THESE BASEMENTS, WHAT WERE THEY USED FOR?

>> THEY WERE THE SHUCKING HOUSES.

THEY WOULD GET THEM TO MARKET AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

ISABELLA: LIKE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, OYSTER POINTS HEYDAY WOULD NOT LAST.

HE SAYS DISEASE, SEWAGE CONTAMINATION, POOR YIELDS, AND A SERIES OF HURRICANES CRIPPLED CONNECTICUT'S INDUSTRY.

THE CHANCES OF REBOUND SEEMED SLIM.

DID YOU EVER EXPECT THE OYSTERS TO COME BACK TO THAT AREA?

>> NO.

EARLY ON WHEN I STARTED TALKING TO MOST OF THE OYSTER MEN THAT HELPED ME IN MY RESEARCH OVER THE YEARS, THEY SAW THE SLOW DEMISE OF THE OYSTER INDUSTRY.

THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WAS EVER GOING TO COME BACK.

THEY TALKED ABOUT THE GOOD TIMES, WHEN THERE WERE OYSTERS EVERYWHERE, PLENTIFUL.

THAN THEY HAD DECLINING WATER QUALITY.

A LOT OF THE BEDS -- A LOT OF THE OYSTER MEN WERE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS OVERNIGHT.

ONE DAY, THEY WERE IN BUSINESS.

THE NEXT DAY, THEY WERE CLOSED.

ISABELLA: MIKE GILMAN AND HIS BUSINESS PARTNER, GEORGE HARRIS, RUN INDIAN RIVER SHELLFISH.

THE TWO STARTED FARMING OYSTERS ON THE HAMMOND ASSET RIVER IN 2015.

>> I DON'T THINK ANYONE OYSTERED HERE FOR 36 YEARS.

ISABELLA: WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY WHEN YOU SAID, WE ARE GOING TO >> A LOT OF PEOPE LAUGHED AT US.

>> THEY SAID WE WERE CRAZY.

>> WE WERE WARNED MANY TIMES BY MANY PEOPLE THAT YOU WERE ON A FOOLS ERRAND.

ISABELLA: THAT FOOLS ERRAND TURNED OUT TO BE A BIG ENVIRONMENTAL WIN.

HOW MANY OYSTERS DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE?

THE WATER?

-- IN THE WATER?

>> TO MILLION -- 2 MILLION-ISH.

MAYBE MORE.

ISABELLA: THOSE 2 MILLION DID NOT COME BACK ON THEIR OWN.

OYSTERS START THEIR LIVES AS TINY LARVAE FLOATING THROUGH THE WATER.

TO SURVIVE, THEY MUST ATTACH TO A HARD SURFACE.

>> WHAT THE OYSTER IS LOOKING FOR HIS OTHER MEMBERS OF ITS OWN SPECIES, SO IT LOOKS FOR SHELL.

ISABELLA: WHEN THEY ARRIVED ON THE HAMMOND ASSET RIVER, THE BOTTOMLESS TOO SOFT AND MUDDY FOR THE OYSTERS TO SET.

THEY HAD TO ADAPT.

>> WE HAD TO FIND OTHER WAYS WHICH IS WHY WE SWITCHED TO THIS KIND OF GROWING.

WE HAD NOTHING BUT MUD, SEVEN YEARS AGO.

THEN WITHIN A YEAR, MAYBE TWO YEARS, HE STARTED FINDING FISH COMING UP IN THE CAGES.

>> HISTORICALLY, THE HARBOR IS A NURSERY FOR JUVENILE FISH, BLACKFISH, BLACK CEBIT -- SEE FISH -- BLACK SEA FISH.

AND THEY NEED PROTECTION.

THE CAGE IS OFTEN THEIR PROTECTION.

SO THEY GO IN THEM, PIPE FISH, SEAHORSES, THINGS LIKE THAT, JUVENILE BOOT -- JUVENILE BLUE CRABS.

ISABELLA: EXCITED BY THE NOW GROWING OYSTER POPULATION, NEARBY TOWNS WORKED WITH GILMAN AND HARRIS TO PUT CLEAN SHELL IN THE RIVER TO BRING BACK THE NATURAL OYSTER BEDS.

THE RESURGENCE HAS HAD BROAD IMPACTS.

>> ALL NOR'EASTER'S CAN FILTER WHAT IS GOING UP AND DOWN THESE RIVERS.

>> A SINGLE FILTER IS $60,000 -- 60,000 GALLONS OF WATER.

ISABELLA: HE TEACHES UNDERWATER SIGNS AT THE SOUND SCHOOL.

>> ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIMENTS YOU CAN DO IS BRING A BUNCH OF DIRTY WATER IN THE TANK, PUT A BUNCH OF OYSTERS AND THAT WATER WILL BE NOTICEABLY CLEARER.

ISABELLA: CLEARER WATER MEANS LIGHT CAN PENETRATE, GIVING PLANT LIFE A CHANCE TO GROW.

>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OYSTERS, WE THROW OUT THIS WAS TERM, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.

THEY HELP WITH COASTAL RESILIENCY, CAN REDUCE WAVE ENERGY COMING IN, AND CREATE A LOT OF VALUABLE HABITAT FOR OTHER SPECIES.

ISABELLA: BY ABSORBING THE IMPACT OF INCOMING WAVES, OYSTER BEDS CAN PROTECT SHORELINES.

>> THERE ARE OTHER WAYS OF DEALING WITH COASTAL EROSION BESIDES, WE ARE WHEN TO BUILD A WALL.

ISABELLA: SOLOMON AND HIS STUDENTS HAVE BEEN DOING RESTORATION EFFORTS OF THEIR OWN.

>> NEW HAVEN HAD THIS HUGE HISTORICAL OYSTER INDUSTRY.

WE WANTED TO RE-CREATE THOSE NATURAL REEFS TO PROVIDE BENEFITS FOR THE ECOSYSTEMS IN THE HARBOR.

ISABELLA: USE CONCRETE DOMES, LIKE A ROCK OR SHELL, THEY CAN PROVIDE A PLACE FOR OYSTERS TO SET.

>> WE ARE SEEING A DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEM IN THE SMOOTH BOTTOM THAT DID NOT RECEIVE OUR RESTORATION TREATMENT.

WE HAVE A SANDY OR SUBSTRATE IN THAT AREA.

AS SOON AS YOU START SEEING THE REEF BALLS, USING MORE OYSTERS.

WE HAVE A LOT OF SMALL FISH SWIMMING AROUND THERE.

A LOT OF OTHER SPECIES WERE INTERACTING WITH OUR OYSTER REEF, ESPECIALLY IN THE VOID SPACE BETWEEN THE REEF BALLS.

WE HAVE SEEN BLACKFISH, WE HAVE SEEN BLUE CRABS MEETING.

ISABELLA: OUTSIDE CONNECTICUT, THERE IS A BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT HAPPENING.

>> THERE IS A HUGE EFFORT UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST TO RESTORE THE OYSTER BEDS, WILD OYSTER BEDS, JUST FURTHER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES.

ISABELLA: CASE IN POINT, AND VIRGINIA, THE CHESAPEAKE BAY HAS BEEN THE CENTER OF A MASSIVE RESTORATION PROJECT.

THEY HAVE TURNED TO PROGRAMS LIKE SHELL RECYCLING, WHICH COLLECTS EMPTY SHELLS FROM RESTAURANTS TO GO BACK IN THE WATER.

THEY HAVE ALSO PUT OUT REEF BALLS, AND SHELL ALREADY SEATED WITH OYSTERS.

THE PROJECTS HOPE TO ADD 10 BILLION MORE OYSTERS BY 2025.

>> CAN WE SAY THAT THE EASTERN OYSTER HAS RECOVERED?

>> THE POPULATION IS REALLY A TINY FRACTION OF WHAT IT WAS HISTORICALLY.

BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THROUGH INTENSIVE AQUACULTURE, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO QUITE REMARKABLE JOBS OF RECOVERING QUITE A BIT OF IT.

WE HAVE DOUBLED OYSTER PRODUCTION ON THE EAST COAST IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL RENAISSANCE WE ARE SEEING OF OYSTER PRODUCTION.

>> SINCE WE LAST SPOKE WITH THE FOLKS AT INDIAN RIVER SHELLFISH, THEY HAVE STARTED A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM AIMED AT CLEANING UP OLD LOBSTER POTS THAT LINDER -- THAT LITTER THE OCEAN FLOOR.

IT HAS FLOODED JURISDICTIONS WITH LOCAL COALITIONS IN TOWNS LIKE TIVERTON, OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF SHELLFISH FARMS INTO THEIR WATERS.

PAMELA: NOW WE TURN TO ANOTHER AREA WHERE THE OYSTER SUPERSTAR STATUS IS GROWING.

HERE IN THE OCEAN STATE, A THRIVING AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY HAS TURNED TO GENETIC RESEARCH IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE ANNUAL OYSTER CROP FROM DANGEROUS PATHOGENS THAT EXIST NATURALLY.

AS RHODE ISLAND PBS PRODUCER DIRECTOR JAMIE MAGUIRE FIRST REPORTED BACK IN JUNE OF 2021, OYSTERS AND GENETIC RESEARCH MAY GO A LONG WAY IN UNDERSTANDING AND EVEN PREVENTING DISEASES IN HUMANS AS WELL.

>> I AM A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND.

AND I WORK ON THE AREA OF AQUATIC PATHOLOGY.

I WAS HIRED TO HELP THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY AND ALSO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, MANAGING POPULATIONS OF ANIMALS IN THE BAY.

MY ROLE IS TO FOLLOW UP, TWO MONITORS -- MONITOR DISEASES AND SEE WHAT THE IMPACT IS ON THOSE WILD POPULATIONS, AND FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MANAGE THOSE DISEASES.

DISEASES AFFECT OYSTERS ARE AT DIFFERENT STAGES, STARTING FROM THE LARVAE THAT THEY GROW IN THE HATCHERIES COME ALL THE WAY TO THE ADULTS THAT GROW IN THE FARMS.

THE WAY WE ARE TRYING TO MANAGE THE DISEASE IN THE HATCHERY, BECAUSE IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY, IS TO PROVIDE SOMETHING IN THE WATER THAT MINIMIZES THE PROBABILITY OF THAT PATHOGEN TO CAUSE DISEASE IN THE OYSTER.

>> MY NAME IS DAVID NELSON.

I AM A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY.

WE GOT INTERESTED IN THE PROJECT BECAUSE MARCO SAID, THERE'S THIS PROBLEM IN THE OYSTER HATCHERIES.

EVERY SUMMER, A NUMBER OF THE HATCHERIES WILL BE AFFECTED WITH BACTERIAL INFECTIONS CAUSED BY PARTICULAR ORGANISMS THAT WIPE OUT THE OYSTER LARVAE.

AT THE SAME TIME, WE BECAME INTERESTED IN USING THESE BACTERIA AS PROBIOTIC ORGANISMS.

CAN THEY PREVENT DISEASE?

NOT TREAT DISEASE, BUT PREVENT DISEASE IN THE OYSTER LARVAE, WHERE THE PROBLEM REALLY IS.

>> THE QUESTION WE WANT TO ANSWER IS, CAN WE PREVENT INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS IN AQUACULTURE FACILITIES BY INTRODUCING BENEFICIAL BACTERIA?

MY NAME IS DAVID ROWLEY, I'M A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND.

I TEACH INFECTIOUS DISEASE.

WITH THESE JUVENILE AND LARVAE -- OYSTERS, THEY SUCCUMB TO THOSE INFECTIONS QUICKLY.

TREATMENT IS NOT AN OPTION.

PREVENTION IS REALLY WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION.

SINCE A LOT OF THOSE INFECTIOUS AGENTS ARE BACTERIA, WE THOUGHT THAT WE COULD COMBAT THEM WITH BENEFICIAL BACTERIA.

AND WE CAN'T.

WEEK -- AND WE CAN.

>> THE WAY WE START, WE START ON THE LEFT AND WE HAVE OUR PATHOGENS THAT WE KNOW CAN KILL LARVA OYSTERS.

WE HAVE POTENTIAL MICROBES THAT WE ISOLATE FROM WATER OR OTHER OYSTERS THAT ARE HEALTHY.

WE TEST THEM WITH OYSTERS, LARVA OYSTERS, IN THE LAB.

BASICALLY, WE EXPOSE THE LARVA OYSTERS TO THE POTENTIAL PROBIOTIC, AND THEN WE HAD THE PATHOGEN AND SEE IF THE PROBIOTIC PROTECTS THE OYSTERS FROM DYING.

WE HAVE DEVELOPED TWO PROBIOTICS AND WE HAVE BEEN TESTING THEM IN DIFFERENT HATCHERIES THROUGHOUT THE EAST COAST.

SOMETIMES THEY WORK GREAT.

WE SEE A GREAT AFFECT.

SOMETIMES THEY DON'T PROVIDE THAT MUCH OF AN EFFECT.

WE ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE HAVE TO IMPROVE THE PROBIOTICS WE ARE USING, OR FIND OTHER MICROBES THAT WILL BE COMBINED WITH THE ONES WE ALREADY HAVE TO IMPROVE THAT EFFICACY OF THE PROBIOTICS, TO MAKE THEM BETTER.

>> IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE TYPES OF BACTERIA, BENEFICIAL BACTERIA COULD PREVENT INFECTIOUS DISEASES, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE GENETICS OF THOSE ORGANISMS.

HOW DO THEY DO THIS?

WHAT ARE THE MECHANISMS?

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT BACTERIA WILL INTERACT?

>> BECAUSE WE HAVE SEQUENCED THE GENOMES OF BOTH PROBIOTIC AND PATHOGEN, WE KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE GENOMES OF THESE ORGANISMS.

WE CAN SPECIFICALLY GO IN AND ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT GENE WE THINK ARE INVOLVED.

DON'T INFECT ANYTHING AT THEIR FACILITIES, BUT WE CAN THROW IN OUR PROBE IONS AND SHOW THEY PROTECT AND GET BETTER YIELD OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

WE SHOW THAT THEY WERE NOT HURTING THEIR PRODUCTION.

IF ANYTHING, THEY ARE GETTING BETTER SURVIVAL.

WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF WORKING WITH DNA, WE COULD NOT DO THAT, EXCEPT VERY SLOWLY.

IT WOULD TAKE US PROBABLY DECADES TO GET WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHERE NOW WE CAN DISCOVER THESE THINGS IN A MATTER OF A YEAR OR TWO.

>> WHILE WE ARE CREATING TOOLS FOR AQUACULTURE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY IN RHODE ISLAND AND WORLDWIDE, AQUACULTURE IS ON THE RISE IN TERMS OF OUR NEEDS AND WILL -- IN ORDER TO PROVIDE PROTEIN, TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE EATING ON THIS PLANET TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE.

THIS INTERPLAY BETWEEN BENEFICIAL BACTERIA, HARMFUL BACTERIA, THE HOSTS THAT THEY RESIDE IN, THIS IS A MODEL THAT YOU COULD IMAGINE INCLUDES EVERYTHING.

OTHER TYPES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS WHETHER IT IS ANIMALS OR PLANTS.

AND EVEN HUMANS.

DAVID: FINALLY TONIGHT, STUFFY'S CLAIMS CASINO, FRIED CLAMS, CLAM BAKES, AND CLAM CHOWDER.

THEY ARE ALL SUMMERTIME STAPLES HERE IN RHODE ISLAND.

AS WE FIRST REPORTED BACK IN JUNE OF 2021, THE EVER POPULAR SHELLFISH FACED A SERIOUS THREAT FROM COVID-19.

THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ARE FINALLY HERE.

MANY RHODE ISLANDERS -- FOR MANY RHODE ISLANDERS, THAT MEANS BEACHES, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR.

CLAM SHACKS AND CLAM BAKES ARE COMING INTO THEIR OWN.

IT MAY BE THE MOST COVID SAFE CUISINE OPTION.

THE OUTDOOR SETTING, IDEAL FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING.

BUT, OH, WHAT A TREAT.

FOR THE CO-HAWKERS WHO ARE THE FOUNDERS OF THIS FEAST, IT HAS BEEN A LONG, TOUGH WINTER.

JUST ASK LUC FRATTO RALLY.

HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACTED COVID HAVE?

>> IT STILL HAS AN IMPACT, BECAUSE STUFF DOES NOT COME BACK TO NORMAL.

DAVID: HE HAS BEEN DIGGING FOR CLAIMS SINCE HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

>> BUT WAS IT LIKE WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP?

>> THIS TIME OF YEAR, WE WOULD BE ON THE WATER.

NOW, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE HAVE 100 FULL-TIME GUYS.

DAVID: NOWADAYS, IT FEELS LIKE HE HAS THE BAY ALL TO HIMSELF.

>> THIS IS ALL FISHING GROUNDS RIGHT IN HERE.

IT IS CALM TODAY.

DAVID: THE BASIC TOOL OF THE TRADE IS A RAKE ATTACHED TO A BASKET AT THE END OF A 30 FOOT POLE.

THE METHODS HAVE NOT CHANGED MUCH OVER THE YEARS.

>> AS HIGH-TECH AS YOU CAN GET.

DAVID: HE DROPS HIS RAKE INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE BAY AND SCRAPES BY HAND.

DAVID: SO WHAT, YOU ARE JUST DIGGING AT THE BOTTOM NOW?

>> YEAH.

I'M WORKING THE RAKE BACK AND FORTH.

I CAN KIND OF FEEL THEM.

DAVID: YOU CAN FEEL THE CLIENTS?

>> YEAH.

DO YOU HEAR THEM?

DAVID: PLAYER SCREAMING " OH, NO!"

>> I DO THIS FOR FOUR TO SIX HOURS A DAY.

DAVID: YOU GET YOUR WORKOUT.

>> AND THEN I HAUL IT OUT.

DAVID: ANYTHING UNDER TWO INCHES IS TOO YOUNG TO TAKE.

HE HAS TO THROW IT BACK.

>> THIS WILL BE $.28, THAT'S $.13, AND THESE ARE $.35 A POUND.

DAVID: AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, WHEN THE RESTAURANTS ALL CLOSED, THE BOTTOM FELL OUT OF THE MARKET.

AND WITH IT, THE PRICE OF CLAMS.

>> AND THE SHOTS SHUT DOWN.

THEN WHEN YOU HAVE FISHING, YOU ARE ON A LIMITED, WHICH WAS JUST ENOUGH -- BASICALLY, YOU WERE DOING IT JUST TO STAY BUSY.

DAVID: THERE WAS NO PLACE TO SELL IT.

>> YEAH, NOTHING.

I WAS BASICALLY DOING IT SO I WOULDN'T GO CRAZY.

I WENT FROM WORKING 6, 7 DAYS A WEEK TO LIKE, I CAN'T WORK.

I GO NUTS.

I WILL GET IN TROUBLE IF I STAY ON LAND THAT LONG.

DAVID: IT IS A JOB THAT HAS SOCIAL DISTANCING BUILT RIGHT IN.

NORMALLY, HE WOULD HAVE A FEW DECKHANDS ON THE BOAT TO HELP OUT.

BUT HE SAYS IT HAS BEEN HARD TO HIRE HELP DURING THE PANDEMIC.

>> I THINK IT IS A PROBLEM ALL THE WAY FROM CONSTRUCTION TO US.

IF YOU ARE GETTING DOUBLE WHAT YOU USUALLY GET, A LOT OF THEM DON'T COME BACK.

YOU DON'T FIND A TON OF PEOPLE WANTINGTO DO THIS ANYWAYS.

DAVID: IT IS A HARD WAY TO MAKE A LIVING.

>> YOU HAVE NO HEALTH INSURANCE, NO RETIREMENT.

.

THE ONLY THING THAT GETS YOU OUT OF THIS IS SOME -- DAVID: FRESH AIR AND SOME SUNTAN.

>> ARTHRITIS AND SOME OTHER ISSUES.

DAVID: COVID LIMIT WAS 500 CLAMS A DAY.

NOW, IT IS BACK TO 12 BUSHELS A DAY.

THIS TRIP, YOU WON'T EVEN GET HALF THAT AMOUNT.

NOT THE EASIEST WAY TO EARN A FEW CLAMS, EVEN IN A GOOD YEAR.

AND COVID HAS MADE THIS YEAR ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT.

RESTAURANT CLOSURES, THE DEMAND FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING, AND OTHER FACTORS MEANT THAT THIS WAS A TOUGH YEAR FOR COMMERCIAL FISHERMEN.

TESTAMENT THAT HERE IN NEW ENGLAND MORE THAN 90% LOST MONEY DURING THE PANDEMIC.

THE AVERAGE REVENUE LOST, MORE THAN 50%.

MOVE BRINGS TO DATE -- LOU BRINGS TODAY'S HAUL A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE DOCK TO CASH OUT.

PLACES LIKE ANDRZEJ RAISE CATCH HELP KEEP THE FISHERMEN AFLOAT, BY PROVIDING A MARKET EVEN WHEN THE RESTAURANTS WERE NOT BUYING.

THEY HAND SORT THE CLAMS BY SIZE USING THIS MACHINE TO TALLY UP THE HALL.

-- HAUL.

BY LAW, LOU CAN'T SELL DIRECT TO CONSUMERS, SO HE AND HIS FAMILY FILLED UP THEIR FRIDGES AND SOLD THAT THEY COULD OVER-THE-COUNTER TWO PEOPLE COOKING AT HOME.

>> WE TRIED TO KEEP BUYING PRODUCT, AND WE WERE JUST STOCKPILING IT IN OUR COOLERS BECAUSE NEW YORK WAS FULLY SHUT DOWN.

BOSTON WAS FULLY SHUT DOWN.

THAT WAS 90% OF OUR MARKET FOR OVER 30 YEARS.

WHEN THAT HAD HAPPENED, WE WERE REEVALUATING EVERYTHING, AND MAKING SURE WE COULD STILL DO THIS, HONESTLY.

DAVID: AND HOW HAS THE BUSINESS CHANGED AT THE END OF ALL THIS?

>> DRAMATICALLY.

I THINK FOR THE BETTER, HONESTLY.

BECAUSE NOW WE ARE ABLE TO GET A MORE LOCAL MARKET.

DAVID: INSTEAD OF ALL OF THESE CLAIMS GOING TO RESTAURANTS IN NEW YORK CITY, THEY ARE GOING TO PEOPLE'S HOMES HERE IN RHODE ISLAND.

>> EXACTLY.

QUAHOG AND WHOLE FISH IN TOTAL.

IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE ARE MORE OPEN-MINDED TO BUY SOMETHING THAT IS HERE AND CALL IT LOCALLY -- AND CAUGHT LOCALLY, RATHER THAN YOUR SALMON THAT COMES FROM ALASKA.

DAVID: FISHERMEN'S EQUIVALENT OF FARM TO TABLE.

>> EXACTLY.

IT IS NICE TO SEE.

IT HAD TO COME FROM THIS.

SOMETIMES, YOU CAN SEE SOME GOOD IN THE BED.

DAVID: AT THE TOUGH TIMES ARE NOT OVER JUST GET.

NEARLY 200 TOP NEXT, 64 BIG ONES.

THAT WHOLE HALL THIS MORNING, $131.88.

>> THANK GOD I LIKE GETTING OUT AND COMING FISHING.

DAVID: BUT HE WILL BE BACK OUT TOMORROW AND THE DAY AFTER THAT.

>> TICKETS A LITTLE HARD AS YOU GET OLDER -- IT GETS A LITTLE HARD AS YOU GET OLDER.

DAVID: FISHING IS NOT JUST HIS LIVELIHOOD.

>> WHEN THE FISHING IS GOOD, YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO SLEEP.

DAVID: IT IS HIS LIFE'S WORK.

>> THIS IS A NICE DAY COMPARED TO WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GETTING.

DAVID: WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THE INDUSTRY IS BOUNCING BACK.

THE STATE HAS OPENED UP THE PROVIDENCE RIVER, AND WHILE THERE IS A SIX BUSHEL LIMIT AND A THREE HOUR TIME LIMIT IMPOSED, LOU SAID IT HAS HELPED A LOT AND IS BRINGING THE PRICE BACKUP.

THAT IS OUR BROADCAST THIS EVENING.

I AM DAVID WRIGHT.

PAMELA: AND I AM PAMELA WATTS.

MICHELLE SAN MIGUEL WILL BE BACK FROM MATERNITY LEAVE.

WE WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK DAVID WRIGHT FOR FILLING IN.

DAVID WILL BE BRINGING US MORE STORIES AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.

DAVID: I HAVE TO DO A LOT MORE STORIES BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT HAS BEEN FUN TO FILL IN AND I LOVE BEING PART OF THIS TEAM.

PAMELA: WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS EVENING.

WE WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEK WITH ANOTHER EDITION OF RHODE ISLAND "PBS WEEKLY."

YOU CAN VISIT US ONLINE TO SEE ALL OF OUR STORIES AND PAST EPISODES AT RIPBS.ORG/WEEKLY OR LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST.

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN, AND GOOD NIGHT.

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