BOSTON – Effective immediately, the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) has reopened waters south of Cape Cod to shellfish harvesting, including Mount Hope Bay, Buzzards Bay, Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound, the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and the south coast of Cape Cod. Due to the dissipation of a potentially toxic phytoplankton bloom of Pseudo-Nitzshia and the results of toxicity testing, DMF has concluded that shellfish in the reopened areas are safe to harvest for public consumption.
Toxicity screening of shellfish was conducted by DMF laboratories and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine, and results have determined that digging, harvesting, collecting and/or attempting to dig, harvest or collect shellfish, and the possession of shellfish, is now permissible in all approved or conditionally approved waters from the Rhode Island border east into Nantucket Sound, including all of Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds and waters surrounding the islands.
DMF issued a shellfish harvest closure in Buzzards Bay, Mount Hope Bay and Lackeys Bay on October 7, 2016 and issued a closure in all waters south of Cape Cod on October 9, 2016. Shellfish closure notices can be found on the DMF website.
###
Follow EEA Secretary Beaton on Twitter:………… www.twitter.com/masseea
View downloadable photographs on Flickr:………… www.flickr.com/photos/masseea/sets/
Visit the Energy Smarts blog:…………………………… www.mass.gov/blog/energy
Visit The Great Outdoors blog:….………………………..www.mass.gov/blog/environment
Visit our website:…………………………………………….. www.mass.gov/eea
Source: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF)