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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — State officials indefinitely closed down shellfishing for a massive chunk of Massachusetts coastline this past Friday. Affected areas ranged from the New Hampshire border at Salisbury all the way down to Plymouth. The order was because of a red tide event, also known by it's scientific name "Paralytic Shellfish Poison."
Fishermen are prohibited from fishing for bivalve mollusks like oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops, and also for carnivorous snails. Eating the shellfish that have been in the water during a red tide can lead to sickness or even death because of a neurotoxin they give off. The phenomenon is caused by algae blooms, and doesn't hurt the animals themselves.
The following towns are under the indefinite ban:
- Amesbury
- Beverly
- Boston
- Danvers
- Essex
- Gloucester
- Ipswich
- Lynn
- Manchester-by-the-sea
- Marblehead
- Nahant
- Newbury,
- Newburyport,
- Peabody
- Revere
- Rockport
- Rowley
- Salem
- Salisbury
- Saugus
- Swampscott
- Cohasset
- Duxbury
- Hull
- Marshfield
- Plymouth
- Scituate
The ban also includes a wide chunk of Massachusetts Bay, and "marine waters managed by the Commonwealth."
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel