Heavy Rains Shut Down New York Shellfishing Areas

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that it has designated shellfish harvesting areas in eastern Suffolk County as temporarily closed to shellfishing. These temporary emergency closures are in response to the extraordinary volume of storm water runoff caused by locally heavy rainfall that affected Long Island throughout the day on Sunday, July 27.

The following areas have been designated as uncertified, effective July 28: town of Shelter Island (all shellfish lands within the town of Shelter Island, including Coelces Harbor, West Neck Bay, West Neck Creek, West Neck Harbor and their tributaries), town of Southampton (all of Cold Spring Pond, the Sebonac creeks, Wooley Pond, Fresh Pond, North Sea Harbor, Noyac Creeks and Mill Pond, plus all that area of Moriches Bay, Quantuck Bay, Quantuck Canal, Shinnecock Bay and their tributaries), and the town of Brookhaven, South Shore (the easterly portion of Moriches Bay, lying east of Tuthill Point and Moriches Inlet). The harvest of shellfish is temporarily prohibited through Monday, Aug. 4, 2008.

This precautionary action was taken to protect public health following the unusually heavy rainfall event that has affected Long Island. Rainfall was measured in excess of 3 in. in all the affected areas and exceeded 4 in. in some portions of Southampton. The extraordinary volume of storm water runoff may cause shellfish in the affected areas to be hazardous for use as food.

The DEC will re-open areas as soon as possible based on the results of bacteriological analyses of water samples that will be collected during the week.

Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation