BOSTON — June 23, 2014 — The state Division of Marine Fisheries partially lifted the widespread local red tide closure of shellfish harvesting areas on Thursday, and a state fisheries official said today that a complete reopening of all areas for all shellfish species is “about a week away.” The state Division of Marine Fisheries partially lifted the widespread local red tide closure of shellfish harvesting areas on Thursday, and a state fisheries official
DMF, which instituted the closure on June 4 in shellfish harvesting areas stretching from Newbury to Gloucester, reopened harvesting areas in Ipswich, Essex and Gloucester for razor clams, soft-shell clams and sea scallop adductor muscles.
The agency also reopened harvesting areas along Plum Island Sound for those same species.
Mike Hickey, chief biologist for DMF’s shellfish program, said the toxicity levels for other shellfish species continues to drop as well.
“If they continue to decline and we can demonstrate there are no ongoing (red tide) blooms, we’re about a week away, if not less, from a total reopening,” Hickey said.