January 16, 2014 — State fisheries regulators have issued new rules for harvesting and storing Long Island shellfish, following outbreaks of a harmful bacterium in local waters last year.
The rules, effective this month, seek to keep clams and oysters cool enough to prevent exposure to the bacteria, known as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which saw outbreaks in Oyster Bay Harbor and Cold Spring Harbor in 2013.
Shellfish digger permits issued on Long Island this year come with a copy of the new rules, which are based on guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's National Shellfish Sanitation Program.
The rules prohibit clammers from storing clams in containers that are not self-draining, or from allowing clams to "sit in standing or stagnant water." Stored clams also must be labeled with time-of-harvest tags from the point at which diggers begin harvesting.
In addition, if the state Department of Environmental Conservation determines a harvest area has experienced a Vibrio outbreak, shellfish diggers in certain North Shore waters must ice clams and oysters within one hour of harvest time, or refrigerate them within five hours. The shellfish can't be mingled with those from outside sectors east of those affected.
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