Oyster Bay Open for Harvesting Again

John Mitty Thursday, September 12, 2013

Oyster Bay has been closed to fisherman for harvesting since June 29^th, owing to contamination from bacteria which pose ongoing hazards to human health.  Now Oyster Bay is partially open for harvesting again.  Only one section of the bay is accessible to fishermen, and that section is open only for certain types of harvesting.  Notably, fishermen may not harvest oysters.  They can harvest every other type of shellfish from the bay except the type which gave the bay its name.  Other sections are still completely off limits.

4,800 acres of shellfishing waters were closed by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) because of a bacteria called Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp).  Vp causes food poisoning, and symptoms generally manifest within 24 hours.  Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever may all result from infection.  The DEC has been continuously retesting the waters for safety, and recently the East Setauket laboratory discovered that Vp levels have dropped below the danger threshold for most shellfish in the re-opened section—except the oyster beds.  Harvesting shellfish with healthy handling measures and cooking shellfish thoroughly can help to prevent sickness from Vp.  These safety measures should be observed any time you catch or cook a shellfish, even from non-contaminated waters. 

 

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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