Approved Shellfish Acreage « Long Island Sound Study

Connecticut
	Approved	Conditionally Approved	Restricted	Prohibited
2005	149264.99	79282.6	138047.89	23327.5
2006	134869.7	93048.2	138677.6	23327.54
2007	134038.58	93763.79	138784.4	23336.84
2008	134038.5	93763.51	138735.47	22708.19
2009	133579.77	93835.73	138873.48	22953.95
2010	134524.16	92817.97	138833.28	23070.65
2011	128175.47	99156.07	138572.7	23341.82
Approved growing area where direct marketing is allowed and water meets certain bacterial standards. Conditionally approved growing area meets the criteria for an Approved classification except under certain conditions, for example, under dry weather up to 1.0” of rain, or seasonally when boats are removed from an area. Restricted growing area is subject to a limited degree of bacterial pollution but may be relayed to other cleaner areas of the Sound for cleansing. Prohibited growing area is subject to contamination by a sewage treatment plant or otherwise contaminated by deleterious substances and may only be used as a source of seed oysters.

New York
	Certified	Seasonal*	Uncertified
2000	410552	942	77518
2001	410552	942	77518
2002	410597	879	77473
2003	410597	879	77473
2004	410336	961	77734
2005	410336	961	77734
2006	409934	1650	78136
2007	409934	1650	78136
2008	409889	1650	78181
2009	409889	1650	78181
2010	409889	1650	78171
2011	412093	1690	75424
Certified shellfish areas are of such condition that shellfish may be taken from there for use as food. Uncertified shellfish lands are areas from which the harvesting of shellfish for use as food is prohibited. Seasonally certified areas are uncertified (closed) during several months of the year, usually from late spring through late fall due to documented water quality problems during the warmer months of the year. Other seasonal closures are around marinas and boat mooring areas because of the potential for sewage discharges from marine toilets. *Seasonally certified (closed) acreage is a subset of total uncertified acreage, and its acreage is also included in the uncertified shellfish lands column.

What are Shellfish Lands?

In New York, shellfish lands are defined as all tidal or saline waters within the marine district and the lands lying thereunder, including such lands which are exposed at low tide. In Connecticut, shellfish growing areas are defined as any area that supports or could support the growth and/or propagation of molluscan shell stock (live clams, oysters, mussels and scallops in their shell). Both states reevaluate shellfish areas for improvements or degradation of water quality and status of pollution sources, and to determine whether it’s classification for harvesting species should be upgraded or downgraded..

What does this indicate?

Approved shellfish acreage indicates whether water quality in embayments and tidal rivers and in open waters near the shore are able to support the harvesting of shellfish for human consumption.

Status

In Connecticut, more than 6,000 acres of approved growing areas were downgraded from 2010 to 2011, adding to a decline of more than 16,000 acres that occurred from 2005 to 2006. Resource managers cited as a reason increased coastal development bringing more impervious surfaces such as sidewalks and rooftops. After heavy rains, stormwater runoff carries pollutants such as harmful bacteria from animal waste onto these hard surfaces and into storm drains and streams that end up in coastal waters. In 2010, however, Connecticut added an additional 950 acres of approved shellfish acreage in Westport and Norwalk thanks in part to new sewers in Westport and the elimination of sewage leaks and sewage bypass pipes that were discharging untreated sewage in the Norwalk River and Norwalk Harbor. In New York, most certified shellfish beds are in open areas of the Sound away from stormwater discharges. In 2011, citing the positive results of sanitary surveys, water quality monitoring and shellfish tissue testing, NYSDEC certified and reopened approximately 2,500 acres of shellfish beds for shellfish harvesting in outer Hempstead Harbor and Long Island Sound. This area had been closed to the harvest of shellfish for more than 40 years.

Research & Monitoring

Status and Trends: LISS Environmental Indicators