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<p style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">RHODE ISLAND’S QUAHOG WEEK IS BACK!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">On behalf of the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative (RISMC), we’re pleased to announce the 6th annual Rhode Island Quahog Week, which runs from May 15 -21 this
year. Quahog Week is a statewide celebration of our iconic Rhode Island clam. The initiative was created by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, in partnership with the RISMC, with strong support from the RI Shellfishermen’s Association.
Quahog Week highlights the many restaurants, markets, fishermen, and food-based businesses committed to growing Rhode Island's local food economy, with special emphasis on quahogs. By connecting consumers with retailers of quahogs and quahog-based meals, Quahog
Week offers broad benefits for everyone involved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">HOW IT WORKS<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">Restaurants throughout the State can participate by featuring a quahog-based dish on their menu during the week of May 15-21. Markets who sell seafood directly to consumers
can also participate by offering quahog specials during the week. We encourage you to spread the word to participate in this initiative by simply filling out and submitting the sign-up form linked in the attached PDF (it’s free), and we’ll do the rest via
our statewide Quahog Week promotional campaign. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">The more restaurants and markets that participate in Quahog Week, the greater the possibility that there may be increased demand for product. The ex-vessel value for the
14.3 million quahogs harvested and landed in Rhode Island in 2021 alone totaled nearly $4 million — making it the 6th most valuable fishery in RI. All participating restaurants and markets will be prominently featured on <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://SeafoodRI.com__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!LeDGORW3wzdfpfH6DNKgEk3UoAXkl7Drku1hYvKQwIEH6QQoEWKaL7B3Ivs897i_31xA-GaOUaqaYEsN2gMIXKJFA-fgB-I8bMjenbbnyg$">SeafoodRI.com [seafoodri.com]</a> and across multiple social
media channels affiliated with the RI Seafood Marketing Collaborative. Participants will also receive promotional materials to help generate business. There is a growing demand for local seafood during this critical time, so help us guide seafood consumers
to you! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">WHY IT’S IMPORTANT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">Our local food system supports more than 60,000 jobs and is a key driver in attracting tourism to the Ocean State. Quahogs are plentiful in Narraganset Bay year-round, and
they are perfect ingredients in numerous dishes including stuffies, hearty chowders, pasta dishes, and more. And of course, they are great as is, on the half shell. Let’s work together to spread awareness of Rhode Island’s shellfish bounty, the hard-working
men and women who harvest and process quahogs, the talented chefs who prepare them in so many delicious ways, and our fabulous restaurants and markets that steer customers toward local RI seafood!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">NEED MORE INFO?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">Visit
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.seafoodri.com__;!!KKphUJtCzQ!LeDGORW3wzdfpfH6DNKgEk3UoAXkl7Drku1hYvKQwIEH6QQoEWKaL7B3Ivs897i_31xA-GaOUaqaYEsN2gMIXKJFA-fgB-I8bMjXPgwE9A$">www.seafoodri.com [seafoodri.com]</a> | Contact <a href="mailto:dem.riseafood@dem.ri.gov">
dem.riseafood@dem.ri.gov</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p style="margin:0in;background:white"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;background:white">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in;background:white;box-sizing: border-box"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;background:white">You are receiving this notice from the RIDEM Division of Marine Fisheries (rimarinefisheries listserve). <b><u>This is an automated
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<p style="margin:0in;background:white;box-sizing: border-box"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;background:white">If you have trouble unsubscribing, send email to <</span><span style="color:black;background:white"><a href="mailto:rimarinefisheries-owner@listserve.ri.gov" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">rimarinefisheries-owner@listserve.ri.gov</span></a></span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;background:white">>.</span></i><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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For meeting notifications filed with Sec. of State, go </i><a href="https://opengov.sos.ri.gov/OpenMeetings" target="_blank"><i>here</i></a><i>.</i></span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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