The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced a temporary ban on the harvesting of shellfish and carnivorous gastropods in Huntington Harbor in the town of Huntington.

The temporary closure was effective on May 23, 2018, due to the detection of a marine biotoxin in shellfish. The closure is implemented to protect public health. Filter-feeding shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops) can accumulate marine biotoxins, which can cause illness in shellfish consumers. Carnivorous gastropods (whelks, conchs, moon snails) feed on shellfish and can accumulate biotoxins at levels that are hazardous to human health.  Approximately 398 acres in the following area are affected.

Huntington Harbor:  All that area of Huntington Harbor and its tributaries.

This action was taken after DEC determined that mussels collected from its biotoxin monitoring site in Huntington Harbor tested positive for saxitoxin, a marine biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).  The mussel samples were collected and tested by DEC as part of its marine biotoxin monitoring program. DEC will continue to check for the presence of biotoxins in shellfish at several other monitoring locations around Long Island and implement closures as necessary to protect public health.

On May 17, DEC closed 490 acres in Northport Harbor and an adjacent section of Northport Bay to the taking of carnivorous gastropods after biotoxin was detected in shellfish at a monitoring site inside Northport Harbor. Huntington Harbor, like the Northport areas that were closed last week, is normally closed year-round for the harvest of shellfish.

DEC will re-open areas as soon as possible based on the results of laboratory analyses that will be conducted over the next few weeks. A recorded message advising harvesters of the status of temporarily closed shellfishing areas may be heard by calling (631) 444-0480. The message will be updated during the course of the temporary closures.

Additionally, maps of the affected areas and information about these temporary closures are available on DEC's website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7765.html  Information about marine biotoxins and paralytic shellfish poisoning is also available on DEC website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/64824.html.