Eighty acres of Lake Montauk will see a seasonal shellfishing closure extended by 60 days, and 21 acres in Sag Harbor’s Little Northwest Creek will be permanently closed to shellfishing, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced last week.
The measures are included in a new slate of shellfishing closures spanning 427 acres in East Hampton, Southampton, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, and Smithtown, the D.E.C. said.
“Areas being closed, or those having seasonally closed periods extended, were found to have elevated levels of fecal coliform bacteria that do not meet New York State’s bacteriological standards for certified (open) shellfish harvesting areas,” the agency said in its announcement. “D.E.C. acted to close the areas to protect the health of shellfish consumers.”
According to the agency, fecal coliform bacteria are found in the intestinal tracts and feces of warm-blooded animals and humans. The presence of the bacteria in shellfish harvesting and growing areas means potentially contaminated shellfish, which accumulate bacteria in higher concentrations with long-term exposure to fecal coliform bacteria. The D.E.C. said consuming contaminated shellfish can lead to gastrointestinal illnesses, but the bacteria itself do not pose a threat to the shellfish or other animals.
“There are multiple potential sources of pollution that contribute to the poor water quality, including stormwater runoff, leachate from nearby septic systems, animal waste, and possible illegal overboard discharges from vessels,” the D.E.C. said.
But John Aldred of the East Hampton Town Trustees told his colleagues at their meeting on Monday that areas marked for closure do not necessarily have high measurements of bacteria throughout.
While the D.E.C.’s testing may have indicated that “the water quality wasn’t really up to what it should be in the period that they allowed it to be open,” he displayed as an example a map of one reclassified area that depicted a semicircle extending out from a fixed point. “This arc is standard for an area that’s closed. All the marinas have this arc around them. It’s sort of a precautionary thing — it doesn’t mean that they tested high coliform out here,” he said, gesturing to the arc’s perimeter.
Mr. Aldred said that water temperature could also be a factor in the D.E.C.’s reclassifications. “The water temperatures may be rising, or increasing year to year. That would naturally favor the proliferation of the bacteria. If you have a longer warm-water season, you’re going to have bacteria growing in that season.”
Among other closures, in Long Island Sound 105 acres in Riverhead and Brookhaven Towns will be closed to shellfishing.
Great Peconic Bay in Southold will see 23 acres closed year round, along with two acres in Greenport Harbor in Shelter Island Sound North. Also in Southold Town, 132 acres in West Harbor near Fishers Island will have an existing seasonal closure extended by 14 days, and one acre in Gardiner’s Bay will be closed from May 1 through Oct. 31.
In Southampton Town, 10 acres in Shinnecock Bay will be closed year round, and eight acres in Moriches Bay will be closed from May 1 through Oct. 31.
A few areas have been opened to shellfishing, the D.E.C. said. They include 24 acres in Pirates Cove off Fishers Island, which will be open from Oct. 1 through April 30, and five acres in Mill Creek, a tributary of Shelter Island Sound North, which will see its seasonal harvesting season extended by 45 days.
The D.E.C. said it tests local waters year round for the presence of fecal coliform bacteria. Shellfishing areas are tested at least six times per year and monthly at seasonal areas.
“D.E.C. will make changes to the certification of shellfish lands as water quality conditions warrant,” the statement said.
Maps of affected areas and more closure dates are available online at dec.ny.gov.
With Reporting by Christopher Walsh