The 1990 National Shellfish Register 



Table 1 . Classifications for Commercial Shellfish-Growing Waters a 



Approved (APP) 



Conditionally 

 Approved (CON) 



Restricted (RES) 



Prohibited (PRO) 



Waters may be harvested for direct marketing at all times. 



Waters do not meet the criteria for approved waters if subjected 

 to intermittent microbiological pollution, but may be harvested 

 when criteria are met. 



Waters may be harvested if shellfish are subjected to a suitable 

 purification process. 



No harvest for human consumption at any time. 



a. Harvest-limited refers to the sum of shellfish-growing waters that are classified Conditionally 

 Approved, Prohibited, and Restricted. 



The 1990 classified areas were 

 compared with those for 1985. 

 Changes in acreage were estimated 

 and entered into the Register data 

 base. Newly classified areas including 

 all areas in Alaska and Hawaii were 

 measured with an automated planime- 

 ter. All chart 

 data used in the 

 Register are 

 being digitized to 

 provide precise 

 acreages and a 

 digital map data 

 base to replace 

 the manually 

 maintained 

 charts. A 

 supplement to 

 the 1990 Regis- 

 ter that presents 

 data on each 



shellfishing area is in preparation and 

 will be available from NOAA. 



Classifying Waters to Protect 

 Public Health. The National Shellfish 

 Sanitation Program (NSSP) classifies 

 shellfish-growing waters to protect 



public health. The NSSP is a coop- 

 erative program involving states, 

 industry, and the Federal government. 

 Since 1983, it has been administered 

 through the Interstate Shellfish 

 Sanitation Conference (ISSC). The 

 ISSC was formed to promote shellfish 



sanitation, adopt 



National Shellfish Sanitation Program 



The NSSP assumes that a relationship 

 exists between pollution from human 

 activities, shellfish-growing waters, and 

 human disease. Pathogens (disease- 

 causing bacteria or viruses) may enter 

 waters through direct discharges of 

 untreated or poorly treated human 

 wastes or through nonpoint runoff from 

 streets, farms, or construction sites. 

 Bivalve molluscs, such as oysters, filter 

 large volumes of water, and concentrate 

 pollutants and pathogens. 



uniform proce- 

 dures, and 

 develop compre- 

 hensive guide- 

 lines to regulate 

 the harvesting, 

 processing, and 

 shipping of 

 shellfish. 



The NSSP 

 requires each 

 state to classify 

 shellfish-growing 

 waters using sanitary surveys that: (1 ) 

 identify actual or potential pollution 

 sources; (2) evaluate hydrology and 

 meteorology affecting pollutant 

 transport; and (3) sample waters for 

 bacterial quality (at least five times 

 annually for each station). Waters are 



