Published on Thursday, December 19, 2024
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is announcing that the emergency closure of Upper Narragansett Bay shellfish ‘Area A’ and ‘Area B’ will end at sunrise tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 20. The emergency closure was put in place after last week’s heavy rain. Water samples collected this week demonstrated that bacteria levels in both areas have returned to levels that support safe shellfish harvest, allowing them to reopen for shellfish harvest at sunrise tomorrow.
Other conditionally approved shellfish areas in Upper Narragansett Bay remain closed. Providence River Area E and Greenwich Bay are closed and are scheduled to reopen for shellfish harvest at noon on Thursday, Dec. 26.
DEM, the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC), along with industry partners, collaborate to ensure that shellfish grown and harvested from Rhode Island waters continues to be a quality safe seafood product to be enjoyed by all consumers. This monitoring enables a quick response when conditions indicate a change in water quality due to natural events such as algae blooms or unusual weather events.
For more information on the shellfish harvesting classifications, review the annual notice available at www.dem.ri.gov/shellfish. An interactive shellfishing map is also available.
For information on emergency and conditional area water quality related shellfish closures, call DEM’s 24-hour shell fishing hotline at 401-222-2900 or sign up for DEM’s Office of Water Resources' listserv here: RishellfishOWR-subscribe@listserve.ri.gov.
For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter/X (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates. Sign up here to receive the latest press releases, news, and events from DEM's Public Affairs Office to your inbox.
