Shellfishing banned in Hempstead Bay area
As of sunrise Saturday, shellfish harvesting in about 7,100 acres in the Town of Hempstead will be prohibited for public health reasons, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Friday on its website.
Hempstead Bay west of the northbound lanes of Wantagh Parkway will be closed to shellfish harvesting for at least seven months as the DEC, working with the Town of Hempstead, collects and tests water samples to determine which sections may be reopened, the agency said.
After U.S. Food and Drug Administration and DEC evaluators determined water quality data provided by the Town of Hempstead's laboratory were not reliable, the FDA called for the closures, the announcement said.
"This is an unfortunate but necessary step that we must take to safeguard public health and ensure the vast majority of New York's shellfishing industry is not affected," said Joe Martens, DEC commissioner. "We will work to reopen the beds as swiftly as possible."
A town spokesman said in a statement that the town will work with the DEC "to collect additional water samples to verify the quality of local bay water. Our municipal workforce is dedicated to working toward the reopening of shellfish harvest areas as swiftly as possible."
The town's certified shellfishing areas east of the Wantagh Parkway are not affected by the closure.
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'Success is zero deaths on the roadway' Newsday reporters spent this year examining the risks on Long Island's roads, where traffic crashes over a decade killed more than 2,100 people and seriously injured more than 16,000. This documentary is a result of that newsroom-wide effort.
