The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will temporarily close three shell fishing areas on the North Shore of Long Island during the upcoming July 4th holiday week. DEC imposes these closures during busy holidays to protect public health from potentially contaminated shellfish associated with increased boating activity in shell fishing waters. Boaters are reminded to use pump-out facilities to help protect water quality.
“Each summer, DEC closes these three popular boating areas to shell fishing during holiday weekends to safeguard the health of shellfish consumers from potential water quality issues resulting from increased recreation,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said. “All recreational boaters are urged to be mindful of the no-discharge zones and boat responsibly by using pump-out facilities while enjoying New York’s marine waters.”
Since 1995, DEC has designated these areas as temporarily uncertified for the harvest of shellfish during the July 4th and Labor Day holidays. During peak holiday periods, discharges from marine sanitation devices (toilets) may contaminate nearby shellfish beds with pathogenic bacteria or viruses, rendering shellfish unsafe for human consumption.
DEC is designating the following areas on the North Shore of Long Island as closed to the harvest of shellfish beginning at sunrise on July 3:
- 445 acres in a section of Oyster Bay Harbor
- 347 acres in northern Port Jefferson Harbor
- 50 acres in the area known as the Sand Hole in Lloyd Neck
Shellfish harvesting is expected to resume in these areas on July 11. If poor weather causes fewer boaters to visit these areas, DEC may rescind the closure and reopen the areas to harvesting before that.
Boaters should be aware that Oyster Bay Harbor, Port Jefferson Harbor, and the Sand Hole are designated as no-discharge zones in their entirety. A no-discharge zone is a designated body of water where the discharge of treated or untreated boat sewage is prohibited. Boaters in these areas should utilize the pump-out facilities listed below:
- Oyster Bay Harbor (West Harbor): One pump-out boat is operated by the Town of Oyster Bay at no cost to boaters. Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends. Contact the pump-out boat via marine radio VHF Channel 9 or by phone at (516) 375-9864. In addition, the town provides two pump-out stations on floats near the Oyster Bay Marine Center and Waterfront Park and a land-based pump-out in the town marina at Theodore Roosevelt Park.
- Port Jefferson Harbor: The Town of Brookhaven operates a pump-out boat (no fee) in Port Jefferson Harbor. Hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Boaters may contact the town’s pump-out boat via marine radio VHF Channel 73. In addition, the town provides a pump out station on its transient dock, east of the boat launch ramp, west of the charter fishing vessels.
- The Sand Hole (Lloyd Neck): Although there are no facilities within the Sand Hole, boaters should contact the town of Oyster Bay pump-out boat as noted above. There also is a land-based pump-out facility at Powle’s Marine Center in Cold Spring Harbor. In addition, boaters traveling from Town of Huntington waters can request the services of the town’s pump-out boat (no fee) by calling on marine radio VHF Channel 9. There are also a number of land-based pump-out facilities at marinas in Northport Harbor and Huntington Harbor.
