Late Season Shellfish Closure in Maine Affects 12 Mussel and Oyster Farms
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [PRESS HERALD] BY PETER MCGUIRE - December 7, 2017
A rare late-season toxic algae bloom has closed most of the fertile shellfishing areas in Casco Bay, disrupting the region’s wild-caught and farmed shellfish industry.
The state Department of Marine Resources expanded the area of the harvesting ban Tuesday so that it now stretches from Portland Harbor to the west side of Harpswell. The closure was triggered when tests of shellfish flesh showed elevated levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin that can produce sickness and brain damage in humans.
The ban affects hundreds of acres of productive clam flats in Freeport and Brunswick and at least a dozen mussel and ...
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