For Release: Wednesday, October 12, 2005
DEC Closes Several Shellfishing Areas in Nassau and Suffolk Counties
Closures Follow Extremely Heavy Rainfall
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that it has designated several shellfish harvesting areas around Nassau and Suffolk counties as closed to shellfishing. These temporary emergency closures are in response to the extraordinary rainfall that occurred overnight October 11 into October 12, 2005. This designation is effective immediately and remains in effect through October 19, 2005. The following areas are designated as uncertified and the harvest of shellfish is temporarily prohibited:
Town of Oyster Bay (north shore): All of Oyster Bay Harbor and southern Cold Spring Harbor;
Town of Islip: The northern portion of Great South Bay;
Town of Smithtown: All of Stony Brook Harbor and its tributaries;
Town of Brookhaven: The northern portions of Great South Bay and Patchogue Bay; all of Bellport Bay and Moriches Bay; all of Stony Brook Harbor, Flax Pond, Port Jefferson Harbor and Mount Sinai Harbor; and, the tributaries of those areas in the Town of Brookhaven;
Town of Riverhead: All of Flanders Bay and it tributaries;
Town of Southampton: All of Flanders Bay, Cold Spring Pond, North Sea Harbor, Noyac Creek, Sag Harbor and its tributaries; all of Moriches Bay; and western Shinnecock Bay lying westerly of Pine Neck Point;
Town of Southold: All tributary creeks of Great Peconic Bay located west of New Suffolk Point, and
Town of East Hampton: All of Napeague Harbor, Acabonack Harbor, Three Mile Harbor, Hog Creek and Sag Harbor.
This action was taken to protect public health following the heavy rains and excessive stormwater runoff associated with the intense rain event throughout the evening and overnight hours of October 11, 2005 and continuing into October 12, 2005. Rainfall exceeded three inches in all the affected areas and approached five inches in locations in Riverhead. The extraordinary volume of stormwater runoff may cause shellfish in the affected areas to be hazardous for use as food.
As rainfall continues through the day on October 12, 2005 and into the rest of the week, DEC expects additional areas to exceed three inches, which will result in further closures of other bays and harbors around Long Island. DEC advises all harvesters to call (631) 444-0480 to hear taped message advising them of the status of the shellfish areas. During the course of the temporary closures the message will be updated with information about those areas that are re-opened to harvesting.
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 next several days.
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