State fishery officials have decided to permanently close 7 square miles of the lower Penobscot River to lobster and crab harvesting.
The Department of Marine Resources closed the area in February, citing concerns about elevated mercury levels found in lobsters along that section of river. The source of the mercury, the level of which is little more than what is found in canned white tuna, has been traced to the defunct HoltraChem plant in Orrington.
Officials have said the closure is a precautionary measure and that the mercury found in the lobster upriver from Jellison Point in Stockton Springs could pose a health threat to certain people or if someone ate a lot of it over a period of time.
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