RED TIDE FOUND IN WATERS OFF NANTUCKET
Nearly all harbor waters remain open

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries late Thursday morning closed the ocean waters three miles seaward of Great Point down to Tom Nevers to the taking of surf clams, ocean quahogs, sea scallops and carnivorous moon snails because of red tide.

DMF also closed portions of Nantucket Sound for harvest of these shellfish due to more than 80 micrograms of the paralytic shellfish poison toxin in the algae, Alexandrium tamarense (red tide), found in shellfish in 100 grams of shellfish meat. However, Nantucket’s Marine & Coastal Resources Department, said that most of Nantucket’s harbors and tidal ponds remain open at this time to the digging of all shellfish. Seasonal closures of Polpis and Madaket harbors due to high counts of fecal coliform bacteria still apply at this time.

See the July 2 issue of the Nantucket Independent for the complete, updated story.