Press Releases
03/10/2025
New Management Strategy for Connecticuts Shellfish Industry
(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) Bureau of Aquaculture has introduced a new management strategy to improve how the state handles shellfish harvest closures caused by weather-related events. Rainfall events are one of the most common reasons for shellfish area closures. This new strategy was implemented in 2024 in some of the largest shellfish growing areas, resulting in eight additional workdays, with the potential for further expansion in the future.
“Connecticut shellfishing generates more than $16 million in farm-gate sales providing 300 jobs for the 61,000 acres that are under cultivation. I commend our Bureau of Aquaculture staff for seeking innovative ways to support the industry while keeping public health at the forefront,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “The preliminary results of this new management strategy are encouraging and have the potential to positively impact Connecticut aquaculture on a larger scale in the future.”
CT DoAg’s Bureau of Aquaculture is the lead agency regulating shellfish sanitation and operates under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), which allows certified dealers to ship in interstate commerce. CT DoAg is responsible for classifying shellfish growing areas statewide based upon sanitary survey findings, which evaluate pollution sources, and water quality data that supports the survey findings. Areas classified as Approved or Conditionally Approved allow dealers to send shellfish directly to market when they are in open status. In accordance with the requirements of the NSSP, CT DoAg closes shellfish harvest areas following predictable events that could cause pollution to temporarily enter a growing area and reopens areas with acceptable sample results.
For over two decades, CT DoAg has closed Conditionally Approved areas for a minimum of seven days following a rainfall event that exceeds established triggers, which are based on an extensive water quality dataset collected. The frequent and large rainfall events in 2023 resulted in a significant number of shellfish bed closures along parts of the shoreline. Consequently, DoAg analyzed historic and current water quality and shellfish tissue results and found that the data supported shortening the closures to five days in numerous Conditionally Approved areas.
While the prior strategy allowed for reopening on the eighth day, the new strategy allows for reopening on the sixth day and provides an additional two workdays, which can be critical around major holidays and in years like 2023 when subsequent storms limited harvest to only a few days in between closures. The safety and quality of shellfish produced in Connecticut is always at the forefront of regulatory decisions. CT DoAg is requiring the collection of reopening water and shellfish tissue samples after each closure event in order to implement the shorter closure timeframe. This ensures that shellfish continue to meet national standards while reducing impacts on the industry.
The new approach was implemented in 2024 in key commercial harvest areas, including Greenwich, Darien, Norwalk, Westport, Fairfield, Stratford, Milford, West Haven, New Haven, and East Haven. Due to the increased workload on the one laboratory that is certified to analyze samples for the shellfish program and due to known pollution sources that may adversely impact some Conditionally Approved areas for more than five days, CT DoAg is not able to implement this new strategy statewide at this time. As more data becomes available, there is potential for the program to expand in the future.
For more information on the Bureau of Aquaculture’s programs and services and the state’s shellfish industry, please visit our website.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Rebecca Eddy, Rebecca.Eddy@ct.gov
860-573-0323
