[RIShellfishOWR] Shellfish Closure Update

[RI Shellfish Closures]

This is RI DEM with a pollution related Conditional Area and emergency shellfish closure update. These and other areas may be subject to shellfish management closures, minimum sizes and possession limits, refer to the Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Regulations or visit https://rules.sos.ri.gov/regulations/part/250-90-00-4

Conditional Areas in Mt Hope Bay, Kickemuit River and Lower Providence River Area E will be extended in their closure and are scheduled to reopen at NOON on August 31, 2021.

The Taunton Airport rain gauge received 2.2" of rain overnight extending the closure of Mt. Hope Bay and Kickemuit River.
The Narragansett Bay Commission Fields Point rain gauge received 1.03" of rain overnight extending the closure of Lower Providence River Area E.

Conditional Areas Greenwich Bay and the Point Judith Pond will remain closed to shellfishing and are scheduled to reopen at Sunrise on 8/30/2021.

Due to heavy rain and flooding in the Westerly area, a precautionary closure of Winnapaug Pond will go into effect at Sunrise on Monday 8/23/2021 until further notice. Water samples will be collected to demonstrate acceptable water quality prior to reopening the area.


Currently, shellfish management restrictions only allow harvesting from Conditional Area E (Lower Providence River) 8am-11am on:
August: 30 and September 1 and 3.

Sign up to receive email notifications of conditional area and emergency closures by sending an email to RishellfishOWR-subscribe at listserve.ri.gov or click on the Subscribe button on this webpage under Stay Informed. This voluntary email list is used to distribute information on water quality-related shellfish harvesting restrictions. As required by RI General Law § 20-8.1-3, DEM will continue to provide notice of harvesting restrictions on the 24-hour shellfish hotline recording at 401-222-2900.

For information regarding where you can harvest shellfish, please refer to the interactive Shellfish Map, which can be found by clicking on "Shellfish Map" on the "Shellfish Links" menu located on the right side of the Shellfish Home page (dem.ri.gov/shellfish<http://dem.ri.gov/shellfish>)

Current Status of CONDITIONALLY APPROVED areas of Upper Narragansett Bay, Greenwich Bay, Mount Hope Bay, or the Kickemuit River or other emergency closures may be obtained by calling the Shellfish Closure Hotline 401-222-2900 24 hours a day. If you have questions or concerns about shellfish closures, you may call (401)222-4700 or email them to dem.shellfish at dem.ri.gov
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