Environment

Scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center said they hope to get some answers from a necropsy being done on a huge basking shark that washed ashore at Misquamicut Beach over the weekend.

Nancy Kohler, a scientist at the center, said the 28.5-foot long shark was a mature male, in good condition, and it’s unclear why it washed up dead. Her research team is doing a necropsy on the shark, on the beach, and she said that’s drawing a lot of attention.

In Cumberland, a colony of beavers is bringing down trees at Diamond Hill Park. The town is busy deciding how to stop the animals.

Copar Quarry in Westerly has been the focus of controversy and complaints for more than a year. Some residents say the quarry is a threat to their health. The Westerly Sun reports the quarry has been the focus of two cease and desist orders, two appeals, and even two lawsuits. To make sense of it all RIPR sat down with the Westerly Sun's Dale Faulkner. He's been covering the story every step of the way.

Senator Jack Reed is trying to get Rhode Island a seat on the management board that oversees squid and other species caught by Rhode Island fishermen.

Recreational fishing is a multi-million dollar industry in southern New England.  But fishermen are keeping an eye on how climate change will alter their industry.