News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information contact: Maureen Wren, 518-402-8000

DEC Temporarily Closes Shellfishing Areas in Nassau and Suffolk Counties

Shellfish Closures Follow Heavy Rainfall

ALBANY, NY (03/09/2008; 2023)(readMedia)-- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that it has designated shellfish harvesting areas in Nassau and Suffolk Counties as temporarily closed to shellfishing. These temporary emergency closures are in response to the extraordinary volume of stormwater runoff caused by locally heavy rainfall that affected Long Island during the evening of Friday, March 7 and continuing into the evening of Saturday, March 8, 2008.

The following areas have been designated as uncertified on Sunday, March 9, and the harvest of shellfish is temporarily prohibited through Sunday, March 16:

Town of Hempstead: All portions of Hempstead Bay (Middle Bay and East Bay) and its tributaries;

Town of Oyster Bay (south shore): All of South Oyster Bay and its tributaries;

Town of Babylon: All of Great South Bay lying west of the Robert Moses Causeway, and its tributaries;

Town of Islip: All of Great South Bay lying west of the Robert Moses Causeway; and; the northern portion of Great South Bay lying east of the Robert Moses Causeway, and its tributaries;

Town of Brookhaven (south shore): The northern portions of Great South Bay, Nicoll Bay and Patchogue Bay; and, all of Bellport Bay.

This precautionary action was taken to protect public health following the unusually heavy rainfall event that affected Long Island from Friday into Saturday evening. Rainfall was measured in excess of three inches in all the affected areas . The extraordinary volume of stormwater runoff may cause shellfish in the affected areas to be hazardous for use as food.

DEC will re-open areas as soon as possible based on the results of bacteriological analyses of water samples that will be collected during the week. A recorded message advising harvesters of the status of these shellfish areas may be heard at (631) 444-0480. The message will be updated during the course of the temporary closures.

###