Fisherman Richard Cook's grant, approved by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, the Mashpee Conservation Commission and the Mashpee selectmen, is now the first shellfish farming project in recent state history to undergo the complicated "environmental notification" procedure.

The DEP contends that Cook's shellfish grant must be reviewed because it is in a "velocity zone," an area where waves become more intense during storms; takes up more than a half-acre; and has more than 2,000 square feet of bottom-anchored structures.

Cook says the opposition has lost him money and product. "I've got half a million oysters ... in danger of dying over the winter," he said. "I've got a lot of time and money invested and some of it is just going to go out the window."

Read the complete letter from the Standard-Times.