3rd Red Tide Outbreak In 3 Years Shuts Down NE Shellfishing From NH To Gloucester - Boston Globe

Red tide has once again shut down shellfishing in the land that made the fried clam famous, leaving retailers and restaurants from Manchester to Maine to ponder the public's response to the third such closure in as many years, and right at the start of the busy summer season.

"Not another red tide story," said Kelly Corrao , owner of Essex Shellfish Co. in Essex when asked about the state shutdown. "As soon as anyone hears 'red tide' they skip over the clams and order the haddock."

Since 2005, summertime blooms of the red tide algae Alexandrium have at various times shut down shellfishing from Maine to Rhode Island, crippling the harvest of the popular soft shell clams, also called Ipswich clams, for which the North Shore is famous. The algae produce a neurotoxin called saxitoxin that builds up in shellfish as they filter food, including the Alexandrium, from sea water. Shelfish contaminated with red tide can be poisonous for humans. Red tide does not affect crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters.

Last Wednesday, the toxin was found in various shellfish at levels the federal government deems unsafe to eat. The Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries shut down the harvest from the state line south to the Gloucester/Manchester border. The Massachusetts closure came one day after New Hampshire announced a similar ban along its 11-mile coastline. The string of closures started with a massive bloom in 2005 that shut down shellfishing along various stretches of New England, costing Bay State fishermen $10 million in lost earnings, according to state estimates.

EDIT

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/06/28/red_tide_again_shuts_down_shellfishing_1182962218/

whatsoever to do with ocean pollution and warming sea temps.......

:sarcasm:

drive along Kings Beach in Swampscott, Take a deep breath, the smell will knock you out. According to the "officials" it is just algae all over the beaches. Yea, sure. They have to bulldoze it off and truck it away.

OK, I'm an evil person. My first thought was was about the "Clamshell Alliance", and I laughed. Lots.
I think Gunter's still kicking around on the internets: I wonder what his take is on this? :evilgrin: