DEC: Section of Cutchogue Harbor Closed to Shellfishing

The bay bottom off the end of New Suffolk Road in New Suffolk is closed to shellfishing as of Wednesday until further notice, according to a statement released Thursday by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

in that section of water located at the eastern end of New Suffolk Avenue within the confines of the stone breakwater protecting the marina, and all the area to the east of the stone breakwater within 150 feet of the southernmost point of the breakwater on the northern side of the marina basin entrance caused the emergency closure. The high level of bacteria can result in an increased potential for shellfish from the area to cause human illness if consumed.

This closure will not affect , though, said DEC spokeswoman Aphrodite Montalvo. The Nature Conservancy owns much of that section of Cutchogue Harbor.

“Only two acres that were available to the public are now closed to shellfishing,” she said.

DEC staff members will continue to monitor water quality of this and other shellfishing areas in Suffolk and Nassau counties as part of its participation in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. If future water quality analyses show that water quality has improved sufficiently, the DEC will reopen the areas for shellfishing either seasonally or year-round, Montalvo said.