Town Lifts Summer Shellfishing Ban On Part Of Patchogue Bay: Report

PATCHOGUE, NY — Shellfishing will now be allowed along a stretch of Patchogue Bay where it has been restricted so that clams and oysters can grow, as a way to help out local baymen, Newsday reported.

Brookhaven officials unanimously voted Tuesday to add roughly 900 acres of bay bottom between Blue Point and Bellport, allowing fishing from May 1 through Sept. 30, according to the outlet.

The town’s shellfishing ban covered a larger swath of the bay than the state's restrictions, which confused baymen and hampered their ability to harvest shellfish, Newsday reported. But the vote got rid of the discrepancy between the two sets of restrictions on the area, which is known to baymen as the winter grounds for its plentiful harvest in the fall, Brookhaven bay management specialist Craig Strong told Newsday.

To read more in Newsday, click here.