House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello defended the legislation at the bill signing ceremony in Galilee Friday. "Promotion of our multi-million dollar squid industry will help our fishing, hospitality and tourism interests in Rhode Island, all of which ser

NARRAGANSETT � Far from elegant but unquestionably profitable, the squid secured a place for itself in state law Friday.

Under a brilliant blue sky in Narragansett�s fishing village of Galilee, Governor Chafee signed a bill into law making Rhode Island-style calamari the state�s official appetizer.

In the ceremony at Town Dock, a wholesale fish dealer, Chafee acknowledged that the bill has been rife with critics. He referenced �all the cynicism about why are you doing this with an appetizer,� referring to naysayers who have questioned why lawmakers are putting such effort into recognizing seafood.

The General Assembly approved the legislation last week, a nod to the state�s dominance of the squid industry. A similar effort died last year in the final night the 2013 session.

Some have said the legislation lacks seriousness. Proponents, however, say it�s intended to promote an industry that�s crucial to the state.

For fishermen, processors and others whose livelihood depends in part on the squid, the bill was not a laughing matter. Ryan Clark, Town Dock vice president, whose family has owned the business for 34 years, said squid is the number one product in terms of volume.

�Not only does a big squid catch benefit the boats but [also] the shore-side businesses, the processors, the unloaders, the fuel businesses, the ice businesses, the ship repair business, the net-building business � all locally owned and operated,� Clark said.

�

There are a number of reasons why squid and Rhode Island go so well together. For starters, squid is plentiful and can be caught year-round. It has a lifespan of 12 to 18 months, according to Town Dock, and the mollusks reproduce twice a year.

Rhode Island brought in 23.5 million pounds of squid in 2012, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the East Coast�s quota.

At a value of $18.6 million, that makes squid the state�s most lucrative fishery.

Because squid is plentiful, it�s spared from some of the stricter catch quotas. There are no daily possession limits, only federal restrictions for the amount that can be caught every four months, said Mike Roderick, director of purchasing for Town Dock.

From the archives:

Rhode Island is King of squid

More pounds are brought to shore than any other seafood

So while squid doesn�t yield as much money per pound as other species, fishermen can come in with thousands of pounds at a time. Two boats arriving at Town Dock this week carried 35,000 pounds and 40,000 pounds of squid respectively.

�Scallops are trading right now for $12 to $14 a pound. Squid might be right around a $1 right now, but the volume increases and the amount of turnaround time for the vessel.� You get more turns,� Roderick said.

While it might take 12 days to fill a scallop boat, a vessel fishing for squid can catch its allotment in 4 days, he said.

New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts fish for squid too, but do not bring it into the state as plentifully as Rhode Island. Robert Ballou, assistant to the director of the state Department of Environmental Management, said that�s due, in part, to the fact that Rhode Island is also a dominant squid processor with the state taking in squid from out-of-state boats as well.

Town Dock, for example, has its own squid processing plant. The company can also freeze the product.

�The cleaning process for squid is specialized,� Ballou said. �We have built the infrastructure here for that process, which has led to the state taking in more.�

�

The loudest cheerleader for the legislation has been Rep. Joseph McNamara, D-Warwick, who also sponsored the bill in 2013 only to see it die in the Senate.

�When we had sea captains coming into the State House in the middle of a busy season � we listened,� McNamara said Friday.

House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who also attended the signing, defended the bill as well.

�Promotion of our multi-million dollar squid industry will help our fishing, hospitality and tourism interests in Rhode Island, all of which serve as integral parts of our economy. �Rhode Island-style calamari� is on menus in many other states and allows us to draw attention to one of our unique assets,� he said in a statement.

On Friday, Janet Coit, director of the state Department of Environmental Management, also unveiled a new logo for Rhode Island seafood that is expected to appear on packaging and menus of locally produced products. So far, eight companies have signed up to use the logo.

Peg Parker, executive director of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, said the bill has the potential to help promote the state�s industry and perhaps grow it.

�It�s a simple effort on the part of legislators, but there is a serious aspect to it,� Parker said. �The hope is that the next time someone sees calamari on a menu, they try it recognizing it came off of one of these local boats.�