DEC Temporarily Closes Northport Harbor To Protect Public Health

NORTHPORT, NY--The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced Thursday that it's temporarily closing Northport Harbor and imposing a temporary ban on the harvesting of shellfish and carnivorous gastropods in the harbor.

The closure is effective immediately after a marine biotoxin was detected in shellfish native to the harbor and is designed to benefit the health and safety of the public. Filter-feeding shellfish like clams, oysters, mussels and scallops can accumulate marine biotoxins. Carnivorous gastropods like whelks, conchs and moon snails eat shellfish and develop increased biotoxin levels through the food chain. Further up the food chain are humans. Consumers of the animals listed above can develop illness stemming from the toxins.

The DEC came upon this realization by collecting mussels from its biotoxin monitoring site in Northport, which tested positive for saxitoxin, a marine biotoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

The DEC intends to test for biotoxins in shellfish throughout Long Island and will dole out closures as necessary for public health.

About 490 acres in the area are affected. According to the DEC, that includes: Northport Harbor and tributaries lying southerly of a line extending northeasterly from the highest point of the green-domed cupola of the residence located at 24 Mariners Court, Centerport, on the northeastern shore of Little Neck Point, to the highest point of the gazebo located between the shoreline and the residence at 8 Hawkins Drive, Northport, located near the eastern shore of Northport Bay.

The organization will re-open areas as soon as possible based on lab results that will be compiled over the next few weeks.