QUOGUE—State officials have ordered the waters of western Shinnecock Bay and Quantuck Bay closed to all shellfish harvesting and warned residents not to consume shellfish harvested from those areas because of the detection of a red algae that produces a neurotoxin potentially dangerous to humans.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation issued a warning on Friday that no shellfish should be taken from the waters of Shinnecock Bay west of the Ponquogue Bridge, and Quantuck Bay east of the Post Lane Bridge in Quogue.
The state has confirmed that high concentrations of a red algae known as Alexandrium have been detected in the bay and in shellfish samples taken from its waters. Alexandrium produces a neurotoxin called PSP that can cause numbness and temporary paralysis in humans if consumed, and could be potentially fatal in rare cases. At least two people died in Alaska in 2010 after consuming shellfish contaminated with PSP.
“This is a human health hazard,” said Christopher Gobler, Ph.D., a marine science professor at Stony Brook University whose students have been monitoring the presence of the toxic algae in the Quantuck Bay and Tiana Bay area ever since it was first detected here two years ago. Dr. Gobler said water samples from western Shinnecock Bay and Quantuck Bay over the last several weeks had shown concentrations of Alexandrium rising steadily. Last week, the concentrations hit their highest levels ever detected by the Stony Brook scientists in local waters.
“As far as we know, the only serious health concerns will be from the consumption of marine organisms that accumulate the toxin,” Dr. Gobler said, noting that shellfish, which feed by filtering algae from the water surrounding them, can accumulate the toxin very quickly. Most fish do not accumulate the toxin, because they will typically swim through the algae blooms and not linger long enough to ingest it in large quantities.
In most cases, ingesting PSP will first cause tingling in the lips and mouth, followed by general weakness and fatigue, and then temporary paralysis. Typically, the effects will wear off, Dr. Gobler said, as the body metabolizes the toxin.
Baymen said this week that the loss of the large expanse of western Shinnecock Bay is painful in an era when productive shellfishing grounds are growing fewer, but acknowledged that taking the precaution of closing the entire bay was an important step in ensuring that consumers feel safe eating local shellfish.
“Any closure is a bad thing for us, and that’s a very important area—there are lots of hard clams up there,” said Ed Warner Jr., a professional bayman and member of the Southampton Town Board of Trustees. “If it’s taken care of properly, though, people will know it’s safe to eat the shellfish that are available. They’re doing everything right as far as the closure, and when the cell count drops again, we’ll be able to go back.”
This is the second time that shellfish harvesting has been closed in New York State because of the presence of Alexandrium in tidal waters, but the first time on the East End. Northport Bay has been closed four of the last five years because of the toxic algae since it first appeared in 2006, the first time the algae had been detected on Long Island. It has appeared sporadically and closed shellfishing areas on the coastline from Maine to Massachusetts in recent years.
Alexandrium is a cold-water species and primarily appears in the Northeast only in the spring. Once water temperatures near 70 degrees, the algae dissipates.
Another red tide species has been appearing throughout the East End’s bays during late summer and early fall in recent years. That species has not been shown to be harmful to humans but can be highly toxic to fish and shellfish.
on May 7, 2011