For Release: Tuesday, August 29, 2006
DEC Temporarily Closes Shellfishing Areas inNassau and Suffolk Counties
Shellfish Closures Follow Heavy Rainfall
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that it has designated additional shellfish harvesting areas in Suffolk County as temporarily closed to shellfishing. These temporary emergency closures are in response to the extraordinary stormwater runoff caused by the heavy rainfall that occurred on August 25 through August 29, 2006.
The following areas were designated as uncertified on Tuesday, August 29, and the harvest of shellfish is temporarily prohibited through September 5:
- Towns of Riverhead and Southampton: Flanders Bay and its tributaries from Miamogue Point to Red Cedar Point;
- Town of Southampton: Sag Harbor and its tributaries;
- Town of East Hampton: Three Mile Harbor, Hog Creek, Acabonac Harbor, Napeague Bay, Montauk Lake, and Sag Harbor and its tributaries;
- Town of Shelter Island: All creeks, bays, harbors, and their tributaries in the Town of Shelter Island; and
- Town of Southold: All shellfish lands in the Town waters of Southold , including Fishers Island, a portion of Cutchogue Harbor and its tributaries, and a portion of Southold Bay and its tributaries.
This action was taken to protect public health following the unusually heavy rainfall event that affected Long Island throughout Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, August 25 through August 29, 2006. Rainfall exceeded three inches in the affected areas. The extraordinary volume of stormwater runoff may cause shellfish in the affected areas to be hazardous for use as food.
Additional areas in the towns of Hempstead, Oyster Bay (south shore), Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven (south shore), Southampton, and Southold were closed for shellfish harvesting on Monday, August 28, and remain closed through September 4.
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. A taped message advising harvesters of the status of these shellfish areas may be heard at (631) 444-0480. The message will be updated during the course of the temporary closures.
