The first Red Tide closure of clam beds in Essex County this season — covering most of the beds from Manchester through Gloucester, Rockport and Essex to the New Hampshire line — has been announced today by the state's Division of Marine Fisheries.
Dave Sargent, the Gloucester Shellfish Warden, said he received a notice from the state shortly after noon.
He said there are about 100 commercial and between 300 and 400 recreational clammers in Gloucester, and about 500 to 600 acres of clam flats here in Gloucester.
The marine algae is poisonous, causing paraletic shellfish poisoning, and potentially deadly to humans in extreme concentrations. The toxins accumulate in the bodies of clams and other bivalves that flush seawater for nutrients.
Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.