Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick last week asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to declare the state's commercial shellfish harvest a failure, making the industry eligible for federal disaster assistance.
Patrick says that shellfish-harvesting closures throughout the state this summer impacted approximately 1,100 commercial harvesters and 35 shellfish farmers in 11 coastal communities. Between April and July, more than 600,000 acres of shellfish areas were closed due to extensive algal bloom outbreaks known as red tide, causing direct economic losses of approximately $1.525 million.
Applying a conservative economic multiplier of 4.5, overall losses to shellfish processors, retailers and other related businesses in Massachusetts could approach $7 million, Patrick says.
While the majority of this year's red tide harvesting restrictions have now been lifted in Massachusetts, species prohibited from harvest earlier this year included softshell clams, quahogs, surf clams, razor clams, oysters, whole (shell on) sea scallops and blue mussels.
The naturally occurring neurotoxin, caused by the alga Alexandrium funyense, is harmless to shellfish but consumption of affected shellfish can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans, resulting in gastrointestinal illnesses and, in severe cases, death.
