Neighbor News
Word of the Week: Shellfish Management Area
A designated area of the water where shellfish are protected from being harvested, allowing them to safely grow to adulthood and reproduce.
Clamming for individual and commercial use is woven into the fabric of life on the South Shore. For decades, the Bay provided a source of income to many with clam boats side by side spanning the Bay.
Having an area that is a no-harvest zone is important to allow shellfish populations to regenerate. This ensures that we can continue to rely on shellfish as an integral piece of our economy and culture.
As Great South Bay Oyster Project Director Andy Mirchel put it, "Shellfish management areas are nature's best hope right now. Every town on the Great South Bay has been working for decades to bring this Bay back. The benefits are everywhere and they're all good."
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We applaud the work of our colleagues at Friends of Bellport Bay who advocated to expand the shellfish management area in Bellport Bay as they continue to repopulate the bay.
Save The Great South Bay is a local environmental non-profit whose mission is to restore water quality in the Great South Bay for future generations to enjoy. Our Word of the Week initiative aims to make the scientific vocabulary of environmentalism accessible to everyone. View past Words of the Week at www.savethegreatsouthbay.org under News & Events in the Photo Gallery.
