DEC: Shellfishing restricted in parts of eastern Suffolk

Areas of eastern Suffolk County's South Shore were temporarily closed to shellfish harvesting as of sunrise Wednesday as a result of Tuesday's "extremely heavy rainfall and storm water runoff," the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.

Such runoff "carries bacteria and other pathogens" that affect water quality and potentially the shellfish in the areas, the DEC said in a Wednesday release.

The areas will be reopened based on water quality tests in the coming days, the DEC said. Learn more about the shellfishing status by calling the DEC's recorded message at (631) 444-0480 or go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7765.html

The affected areas as reported in the release are:

In Brookhaven Town, "all the area of Moriches Bay lying east of a line extending northerly from the northeasternmost point of land at the eastern end of Smiths Point County Park on the west side of Moriches Inlet, including the inlet, to the southeasternmost tip of land at Tuthill Point on the west side of Tuthill Cove."

In Southampton Town, "all the area of Moriches Bay, Quantuck, Shinnecock Bay, Cold Spring Pond, North Sea Harbor, Noyack Creek, and all that area of Sag Harbor and its tributaries."

In East Hampton Town, "all the area of Three Mile Harbor, Hog Creek, Acabonac Harbor, Napeague Harbor, Montauk Harbor (Montauk Lake), Sag Harbor and its tributaries, including all the area of Sag Harbor lying south of a line extending easterly from the northernmost tip of the large stone breakwater in the outer portion of Sag Harbor to the northernmost tip of Barcelona Point, and all the area of Northwest Harbor lying southeast of a line extending northeasterly from the westernmost point of land at the entrance to Northwest Creek to the foot of Mile Hill Road."