FOREWORD 



The United States Congress created the National Estuary Program in 

 1984, citing its concern for the "health and ecological integrity" 

 of the nation's estuaries and estuarine resources. Narragansett 

 Bay was selected for inclusion in the National Estuary Program in 

 1984 and designated an "estuary of national significance" in 1988. 

 The Narragansett Bay Project (NBP) was established in 1985. Under 

 the joint sponsorship of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

 and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the 

 NBP's mandate is to direct a five-year program of research and 

 planning focussed on managing Narragansett Bay and its resources 

 for future generations. The NBP will develop a comprehensive 

 management plan by December, 1990, which will recommend actions to 

 improve and protect the Bay and its natural resources. 



The NBP has established the following seven priority issues for 

 Narragansett Bay: 



* management of fisheries 



* nutrients and potential for eutrophication 



* impacts of toxic contaminants 



* health and abundance of living resources 



* health risk to consumers of contaminated seafood 



* land-based impacts on water quality 



* recreational uses 



The NBP is taking an ecosystem approach to address these problems 

 and has funded research that will help to improve our understanding 

 of various aspects of these priority problems. The Project is also 

 working to expand and coordinate existing programs among state 

 agencies, governmental institutions, and academic researchers in 

 order to apply research findings to the practical needs of managing 

 the Bay and improving the environmental quality of its watershed. 



This report represents the technical results of an investigation 

 performed for the Narragansett Bay Project. The information in 

 this document has been funded wholly or in part by the United 

 States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement 

 #CX812680 to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental 

 Management. It has been subject to the Agency's and the 

 Narragansett Bay Project's peer and administrative review and has 

 been accepted for publication by the Management Committee of the 

 Narragansett Bay Project. The results and conclusions contained 

 herein are those of the author (s) , and do not necessarily represent 

 the views or recommendations of the NBP. Final recommendations for 

 management actions will be based upon the results of this and other 

 investigations . 



