PBS Documentary Series Showcases Rhode Island’s Diverse Marine Life

Explore the wonders of Rhode Island's marine ecosystems. Ocean State: Rhode Island's Wild Coast is a four-part PBS docuseries that invites viewers to discover Rhode Island from Block Island to the Atlantic, highlighting marine habitats, wildlife, and conservation efforts. 

The series, which premiered on Friday, Jan. 9, on Ocean State Media TV, is available for streaming on the PBS Passport app.

Experts such as Dr. Matt Long of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Save The Bay's Chris Dodge contribute insights on restoration research and practical actions, including reducing fertilizer use and improving wastewater management. This series is produced and directed by Tomas Koeck in partnership with Ocean State Media.

In the first episode, "Secrets of the Seagrass," the program highlighted restoration efforts by the WHOI in seed-based eelgrass cultivation and by the Narragansett Bay Commission in water-quality improvements to aid coastal recovery.

The Nature Conservancy, which serves as the series' conservation partner, with support from Ocean State Media and the Planet Fuel Charitable Fund, noted that declines in eelgrass across the Atlantic have contributed to adverse effects on species such as the American eel, striped bass, tautog, silversides, and American lobster.

According to Tomas Koeck, one of the filmmakers for the Ocean State project, "the Atlantic coast has lost about 50 percent of its eelgrass, mostly due to eutrophication caused by untreated wastewater and fertilizer run-off. The excess nutrients in the water trigger massive algae blooms, which cloud the water. Because seagrass cannot photosynthesize in murky conditions, it dies, making the water even murkier."

Koeck added that Rhode Island's biodiversity inspires him, and he hopes it will resonate with viewers as well.

"In Rhode Island, the coastline is so unique with how jagged it is that you get all these little microcosms of ecosystems. That might not be scientifically correct, but that's just how I interpret it. You are immersed in all these different worlds that, I think, anyone can appreciate something from," he said in an interview with Ocean State Media.