Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Barnegat Bay - Waretown (all shellfish) and Little Egg Harbor (oysters only)
Waretown: Effective sunrise (6:35am) on April 5, 2013 all of the New Jersey State waters within Barnegat Bay south of a line crossing the bay starting at the mouth of the Oyster Creek
(-74°10’13.06W 39°48’40.00N) to a point on Island Beach State Park
(-74°05’48.66W 39°48’40.00N) to a line crossing the bay starting at the end of Tuscarora Ave (74°11'29.69"W / 39°46'01.68"N) to a point at Barnegat Inlet (lighthouse) (74°06'16.51"W / 39°45'52.60"N) are reopened to their prior classification for all shellfish harvesting.
Little Egg Harbor: Effective sunrise (6:35am) on April 5, 2013 all of the New Jersey State waters within Barnegat Bay south of a line crossing the bay starting at the southern point of the mouth of Thompsons Creek (74°18'40.42"W / 39°35'46.02"N) to a point on Long Beach Island at the end of 5th St in Beach Haven (74°14'29.70"W / 39°34'04.70"N) to Little Egg Harbor Inlet are reopened to their prior classification for oyster harvesting only.
The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of hard clams and/or oysters in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken on 4/3/13. The results of hard clam tissue coliphage analysis done around Waretown and oyster tissue coliphage analysis done around Little Egg Harbor met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams . However, hard clam tissue coliphage analysis done around Little Egg Harbor did not meet the NSSP criteria. Therefore, Little Egg Harbor is only reopened for oyster harvesting, hard clam tissue coliphage analysis will be repeated in Little Egg Harbor next week.
To view the data collected in Ocean County and the maps of the re-opened waters, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here. Raritan Bay remains closed for shellfish harvesting.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Barnegat Light to Beach Haven (Ocean County)
Effective sunrise (6:46am) on March 29, 2013 all of the New Jersey State waters within Barnegat Bay south of a line crossing the bay, starting at the end of Tuscarora Ave (74°11'29.69"W /
39°46'01.68"N) to a point at Barnegat Inlet (lighthouse)
(74°06'16.51"W / 39°45'52.60"N) to a line crossing the bay starting at the
southern point of the mouth of Thompsons Creek (74°18'40.42"W /
39°35'46.02"N) to a point on Long Beach Island at the end of 5th St in Beach
Haven (74°14'29.70"W / 39°34'04.70"N) (view the map) are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken on 3/27/13. The results of shellfish tissue coliphage analysis met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams. To view the data collected in Ocean County, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here. Portions of the Barnegat Bay and Raritan Bay remain closed for shellfish harvesting.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Central Barnegat Bay (Ocean County)
Effective sunrise (7:08am) on January 29, 2013 all of the New Jersey State waters within Barnegat Bay south of the Route 37 bridge to a line crossing the bay starting at the mouth of the Oyster Creek
(-74°10’13.06W 39°48’40.00N) to a point on Island Beach State Park (-74°05’48.66W 39°48’40.00N) (view the map) are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken in the Central Barnegat Bay on 1/24/13. The results of shellfish tissue coliphage analysis taken from the Central Barnegat Bay met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams. To view the data collected in Ocean County, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here. State waters that remain closed are southern Barnegat Bay (Oyster Creek south to Little Egg Inlet) and Raritan Bay.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Northern Barnegat Bay (Ocean County)
Effective sunrise (7:15am) on December 21, 2012 all of the New Jersey waters Barnegat Bay north of the Route 37 bridge (view the map) are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken in the Northern Barnegat Bay on 12/19/12. The results of shellfish tissue coliphage analysis taken from the Northern Barnegat Bay met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams. To view the data collected in Ocean County, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Sandy Hook Bay (Monmouth County)
Effective sunrise (7:12am) on December 15, 2012 all of the New Jersey waters within the Sandy Hook Bay represented by the following depuration areas 1A, 1B, 1C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, and 11D (view the map) are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken in the Sandy Hook Bay on 12/13/12. The results of shellfish tissue coliphage analysis taken from Sandy Hook Bay met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams. To view the data collected in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Navesink River and Shrewsbury River (Monmouth County)
Effective sunrise (7:06am) on December 8, 2012 all of the New Jersey state waters of the Navesink River and Shrewsbury River (view the map) are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. Coliphage is an indicator of the possible presence of viruses in shellfish tissue; shellfish tissue samples were taken in the Navesink River, Shrewsbury River and Sandy Hook Bay on 12/6/12. The results of shellfish tissue coliphage analysis taken from Navesink River and Shrewsbury River met the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) criteria of 50 PFU/100 grams. To view the data collected in Middlesex and Monmouth Counties, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Atlantic & Cape May Counties
Effective sunrise (6:42am) on November 15, 2012 all of the New Jersey state waters of the Atlantic and Cape May Counties from Little Egg Inlet to Cape May Point are open to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that these areas are now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. To view the data collected in Atlantic County, click here. To view the data collected in Cape May County, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Prohibited waters of the Atlantic Ocean for the harvest of surf clams under the Bait Program, effective immediately
Effective immediately (November 14, 2012) all of the New Jersey state waters reopens prohibited waters in the Atlantic Ocean for the harvest of surf claims under the Bait Program, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12-9.4. Harvesters must possess a currently valid Surf Clam Bait Permit No. 2a issued by the Bureau of Marine Water Monitoring. Surf clams harvested under this permit are for bait only, and not for human consumption.. To view the Administrative Order, click here. To view information on BMWM's permit program, click here.
Partial Re-Opening Waters to Shellfish Harvest: Delaware Bay
Effective sunrise on November 12, 2012 all of the New Jersey state waters of the Delaware Bay are re-opened to their prior shellfish classification. The Department has determined through monitoring of water quality and shellfish tissue that the Delaware Bay of New Jersey is now safe for the harvesting of shellfish in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:12 et seq. To view the data collected in the Delware Bay, click here. To view the Administrative Order, click here.
In response to Hurricane Sandy:
The DEP along with its internal and external partners, continue to test waters at closed shellfish beds across the state, click an area on the above map for sample results.
To view a written summary from 11/9/2012 on the marine waters across the state, click here  .
Once the water meets the federal standard, a minimum of seven days must pass before the shellfish tissue is tested to ensure no bacteria are present in the shellfish. This process ensures bacteria have had a chance to be flushed from the shellfish.
Closure Notice:
The commercial and recreational harvest ban on New Jersey shellfish has been in effect since October 29th due to concerns about degradation of water quality in the state's ocean waters and estuaries. To see the official Closure Notice of Shellfish Beds Statewide due to Hurricane Sandy - click here or view our news page.
Bivalves such as clams, oysters and mussels are filter feeders that can accumulate harmful bacteria carried into waterways by stormwater. The DEP advises residents and visitors to avoid consuming clams, oysters and mussels taken from state waters until further notice. The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) urges commercial and recreational harvesters, certified shellfish dealers, and the public to observe all harvesting restrictions because ingesting shellfish from closed beds could potentially cause illness.
Procedures for Re-Opening Closed Shellfish Beds:
The procedures for re-opening closed shellfish areas that have been impacted by pollutants are outlined in the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations' National Sanitary Shellfish Program (NSSP) Guide for the Control of Molluscan Shellfish. Failure to follow U.S. Food and Drug Administrations' NSSP guidance would put at risk our ability to ship shellfish out of state, potentially shutting down the nation's second largest shellfish industry estimated at generating $876 million which supports 5,800 full-time jobs.
As a result of Hurricane Sandy, there were a number of sewage treatment plant bypasses, pump station failures and sanitary sewer system surcharges resulting in the release of sanitary waste into our coastal waters. After the storm, waters must be monitored for bacteria and viruses before they can be reopened to shellfish harvest to ensure public health and safety. The Department of Environmental Protection will continue to monitor bacteria levels until the water quality returns to within standards. Once that has occurred, the DEP must wait 7 days for the shellfish, which are filter feeders, to purge themselves of the bacteria. After the 7 days, the DEP collects actual samples of the shellfish and tests the tissue of the animals using a coliphage test, which takes 24 hours. If bacteria are within NSSP criteria, the shellfish area may be reopened by the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. We are committed to reopening New Jersey’s water to shellfish harvest as soon as possible and Boat Captains and Lab staff will be working 24/7 over the next few weeks.
The DEP works cooperatively with the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the safety of shellfish harvested from state waters. The DEP monitors, classifies and enforces shellfish regulations in 425,830 acres of estuarine beds and 295,857 acres of ocean beds. The DHSS Food Safety Program regularly inspects shellfish processing plants to ensure they follow regulations that outline health and safety precautions. Shellfish samples are regularly collected from harvest areas, certified shellfish dealers and retailers for bacteriological examination. The program oversees a certification program which requires all wholesale shellfish dealers to handle, process, and ship shellfish under sanitary conditions and maintain records verifying that the shellfish were obtained from approved areas.
The DEP is working as hard as possible to reopen shellfish harvesting but must also be diligent in protecting public health and the shellfish industry. |
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