Heavy rains prompt shellfish ban in Oyster Bay, Huntington
Bill 'Duckman' Fetzer, a clam digger in Oyster Bay, culls clams during a fierce summer storm. (July 13, 2010)
Heavy rains led state environmental officials to temporarily shut shellfish harvest areas in waters off the towns of Oyster Bay and Huntington.
The closures took effect at 2 p.m. Friday and extend through Friday, Oct. 8.
The temporary closures are intended to protect public health. Polluted runoff that washes into bays and estuaries after storms can carry bacteria and viruses that may contaminate shellfish, making it unsuitable for human consumption, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation
The temporary ban applies to the harvest of oysters, clams, mussels and scallops in the following areas:
Town of Oyster Bay: All harvest areas in Oyster Bay Harbor and Cold Spring Harbor south of a line that extends east from Plum Point in Centre Island to the north side of the beach pavilion at West Neck Beach on Cold Spring Harbor's eastern shore.
Town of Huntington: All harvest areas within Northport Bay, Duck Island Harbor, Centerport Harbor, Lloyd Harbor. All sections of Huntington Bay south of a line that extends east from the southernmost point of East Beach at Lloyd Harbor's north side to the southernmost point of West Beach. All areas of Cold Spring Harbor south of a line that extends east from Plum Point to the north side of the West Neck Beach pavilion.
