Democratic House of Representatives District 68 candidate Laufton Ascencao is backing away from claims he has made about his work history, after his opponent, Libertarian William Hunt, questioned Wednesday morning whether his past and recent talk of being a commercial quahogger was “a proverbial fish story.”

During his campaign, Mr. Ascencao has noted that he grew up in a shellfishing family, and that some of his current income is derived from commercial quahog diving, with other income coming from renewable energy fields and environmental activism.

But at a public candidates’ forum held Tuesday night in Warren, Mr. Hunt questioned Mr. Ascencao’s work history, suggesting that comments he’s made about being a quahogger don’t add up. Noting that Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management records show no evidence of Mr. Ascencao holding a commercial fisherman’s license, Mr. Hunt asked him Tuesday evening to explain how he can legally dive for quahogs:

“It’s called the apprenticeship program,” Mr. Ascencao replied.

“My family are fishermen and quahoggers. So I often go out with my uncle, which is allowed. You work under their license; it’s something I’ve been doing since I’ve been very young.”

“So where’s the income?” Mr. Hunt asked on follow-up. “Where are you reporting the taxes you pay on the income from quahogging? You said your livelihood is a direct result of diving for quahogs. How are you accounting for income with the IRS and ethics commission?”

“1099s (tax forms),” Mr. Ascencao replied.

On Wednesday morning, Mr. Ascencao backed off on his history as a commercial quahogger, after Mr. Hunt sent the Bristol Phoenix several documents that he said cast doubt on his opponent’s story.

First, Mr. Hunt noted, and Mr. Laufton acknowledged later that day, that the apprenticeship program is only available to fishermen ages 23 or younger. When asked by a reporter about his age, and whether he still works under the apprenticeship program, Mr. Ascencao said he has not fished commercially in some time, and is not selling catches commercially. Instead, he said, he dives for recreation, either with his father or other family members.

“I try to get out when I can,” he said. “I do clamboils, stuff like that for friends.”

He thus has not filed 1099 forms in some time, as his income from diving has not exceeded the $1,000 minimum required for filing.

As for his experience as a diver, Mr. Ascencao also acknowledged that he has never earned certification from a professional diving organization such as PADI (used by East Bay Dive Center in Warren) or others, such as NAUI. Though it is legal to dive without being certified, dive shops will not fill divers’ tanks if they don’t show proof of certification.

Mr. Ascencao said he was always under the impression that you were certified by learning from other divers. He said, “I just went out with family.”

The bigger picture in his campaign, Mr. Ascencao said, is that he is an environmentalist, water and land lover who has always had close ties to Narragansett Bay, the land and to working people like his family. Mr. Hunt’s questions about his work history are just an attempt to deflect, he suggested.

“Any of the materials I’ve put out, that’s all true. I’ve talked about renewable energy. He (Mr. Hunt) defines it as progressive causes, but I don’t think working to protect our waterways is a progressive cause.”

“He implied that I was breaking the law and not reporting income,” he said. “That’s pretty serious.”

Later Wednesday, Mr. Ascencao e-mailed the Bristol Phoenix two mailers he has distributed during the course of his campaign. While both speak of his work history, neither mentions diving as a source of income.

In addition, he said, a letter Mr. Hunt mailed to the Phoenix Wednesday is outdated. He said the letter was sent in May, prior to his decision to run for office. It speaks of his work as a commercial fisherman and renewable energy professional, and is identical to a statement currently on his website, with one difference: On the website, the sentence referring to his work as a diver is gone.

Asked about the change and when it was made, Mr. Ascencao said it occurred months ago.

“That letter was sent in May,” he said. “At that point I was still thinking about diving for a living. When I decided to run for office I moved away from that … that’s why you see me referring to renewable energy. I’ve been very consistent throughout the campaign.”

In a followup telephone call Wednesday morning, Mr. Hunt explained why he has pressed the diving issue:

“My whole point … is the fact that he’s using diving as a crutch to deflect, and that he’s deriving a majority of his income from Energize Rhode Island and those progressive temp agencies.”

“It’s tough to go after him, even in the forum, because his whole entire campaign is based upon this narrative that he’s an ‘Aw shucks’ poor kid. And this (diving issue) is a really good example of how it’s just a story. It just goes to show he’s not being really truthful.”