Hempstead Harbor shellfish ban ending

State officials next week will end a ban of more than 40 years on commercial and recreational shellfishing in a 2,500-acre section of Hempstead Harbor, officials said Thursday.

The nearly 4 square miles of the harbor once was considered too polluted to harvest clams and oysters from. But in yesterday's announcement, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said it will be open to the public and commercial fishermen Wednesday.

DEC Commissioner Joe Martens, in a prepared statement, called the upgrade "a major achievement for the environment and the people of Long Island."

"It's also a testament to the power of a commitment to partnership over decades between the state and local governments who, with strong community support, were able to improve water quality in historic Hempstead Harbor and restore a way of life that has been part of Long Island's heritage and economy for hundreds of years."

The move was described as "a remarkable turnaround" by the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, a group formed in 1995 by the nine communities along the shoreline of Hempstead Harbor.

The opening was the result of many years of work and massive cleanup efforts, officials said.

"If you can meet that standard, that means the water is as clean as it gets," said Eric Swenson, executive director of the Protection Committee. "This was a remarkable turnaround, especially when there were Superfund sites and sewage spills and dead fish and all of that in the harbor. It's a big step and one of the biggest harbors to open in decades in the state."

Recreational fishermen who harvest shellfish for personal consumption will not need a license, but commercial fishermen will need a state digger's license.

"It really was a team effort," Swenson said.

He said environmental analysts had noticed the water in the harbor had become progressively cleaner over the years. The cleansing was due, in part, to two infusions, in October 2007 and October 2009, of about 3 million clams and oysters, which act as filters for the waters they occupy."This took everybody working together," Swenson said.