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SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Rhode Island officials have shut down shellfishing at South Kingstown's Potter Pond after an outbreak of illness. The Department of Environmental Management announced the closure beginning on Saturday, and lasting indefinitely.
The closure is due to the shellfish harvested from the pond sickening seven people, all of whom ate shellfish harvested from the pond between August 11th and August 19th.
The DEM said two of the sickened people tested positive for Campylobacter, a bacterial illness that causes a slew of nasty gastrointestinal symptoms.
The agency has pulled the shellfish from restaurants and warned harvesters that collected shellfish at the pond between Thursday and Saturday to throw the catch away.
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Written by Chaiel Schaffel