Approved Shellfish Areas

There is a gradual increase in approved shellfish areas, but this is subject to annual fluctuations. Since 2014, there has been a gradual decrease in the acres closed to shellfishing due to improving water quality conditions (27 to 25 percent). As of 2024, Connecticut and New York have upgraded previously closed or restricted acres by 4.8 percent, equating approximately to a total of 10,385 acres, since 2014. The states of New York and Connecticut determine the approved shellfish areas on a yearly basis which can vary in size from year to year.

In this context, shellfish area upgrades refer to the conversion of closure areas into areas open for direct shellfish harvesting. State shellfish authorities annually assess shellfish growing areas to ensure that data is current, the areas are unchanged, and the classification is still appropriate. In New York, closures are classified as either, seasonally uncertified or uncertified. In Connecticut, closures are classified as relay restricted, conditionally restricted, or prohibited. Both states are part of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), which outlines all of the requirements of a state shellfish authority including classifying shellfish growing areas. To classify an area as anything other than Prohibited (uncertified), the authority must complete a sanitary survey to identify all potential and actual pollution sources, assure there is adequate distance from a point pollution source such as a sewage treatment plant, collect an acceptable amount of water quality data and demonstrate that it meets national standards, and demonstrate that pollution sources impacting an area are predictable. Areas too close to a known pollution source or when monitoring is unavailable to determine its safety are closed to shellfishing. An area classified as Approved or Conditionally Approved in Connecticut, or Certified or Seasonally Certified in New York, may be subject to temporary closures following rainfall events, sewage treatment plant bypasses, and other predictable pollution events, but these closures should not be confounded with closures that are in place year-round or those that are in place seasonally. Additional information on shellfish classifications in New York (Shellfishing website) and Connecticut (Connecticut’s Shellfishing website) can be found on the states’ websites.

As mentioned before, shellfish beds are regularly monitored to ensure that shellfish harvested in commercially and recreationally approved areas meet national standards. A variety of shellfish are commercially and recreationally harvested each year from Long Island Sound for human consumption. Each year in Connecticut alone approximately 10,000 citizens procure permits to harvest shellfish. In 2015 recreational shellfishing had an overall impact of 1.6 million dollars on Connecticut’s economy. In 1999, the shellfishing industry was estimated to contribute over 11 million dollars to New York’s economy.

The approved shellfish area serves as an indicator for the Pathogens Objective because shellfish closures can be triggered by pathogen presence and abundance. Pathogens can come from a variety of sources including onsite wastewater treatment systems and runoff from stormwater and amplified by rainfall. It is important that shellfish areas open to the public for recreational and commercial use are highly monitored and regulated as there could be severe impacts on public health.

In addition to pathogen presence and abundance, approved shellfish areas can also be impacted by harmful algal bloom – also triggering closures. As the population increases and infrastructure ages, there can be negative water quality impacts that may result in shellfish growing area downgrades. Maintaining infrastructure and limiting impacts on water quality are critical to maintaining existing shellfish growing areas. Changing climate is resulting in years with frequent, intense storms; periods of drought; and longer and more intense hurricane seasons, all of which can impact water quality. When water quality does not meet National Shellfish Sanitation Program standards, shellfish growing area downgrades can occur.