DEC warns of contaminated Oyster Bay shellfish

As a result of an illness outbreak, consumers are advised to refrain from eating shellfish harvested from Oyster Bay Harbor before Friday, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

In addition, harvesters, shippers, retail food establishments and others in the distribution chain should not sell shellfish from affected areas that were harvested from June 1 to July 12, said a news release issued Friday by the environmental conservation department.

Illnesses of three people in Nassau County were confirmed to be associated with eating Oyster Bay Harbor-area shellfish contaminated with naturally occurring marine bacteria or foods that were cross-contaminated with the raw shellfish, according to the conservation department and the New York State Department of Health.

Five illnesses in three other states that received Oyster Bay Harbor shellfish were also reported to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

As of Friday, shellfishing is temporarily prohibited in about 1,980 acres on the north shore of the Town of Oyster Bay, said the release. This includes Oyster Bay Harbor west of a line extending south from the stone house on Plum Point (Centre Island) to the northwestern point of Cove Point on Cove Neck. Check the department's website for a map of affected areas -- http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7765.html.

For more information on the temporary shellfish harvest ban, call the environmental conservation department's recorded message at 631-444-0480.