927 



Jensen, Albert C. 1974. 



Managing shellfish resources under increasing pollution loads. Proc. Gulf 

 Caribb. Fish. Inst., 26th Ann. Sess., Oct. 1973: 173-180. 



In 1972 New York produced more than 52% of national catches of M. mevoenavva, 

 8.5 million pounds of meats with landed value of $13.2 million, and 1.1 

 million pounds of oyster meats at $2.5 million landed value. A total retail 

 value of $150 million is suggested. Most were harvested from about 425,000 

 acres of bottom controlled by the State. The rest came from bottoms owned 

 by towns or private individuals under Colonial grants made in the 17th 

 century. In 1973 13,000 acres more were closed to shellf ishing. One source 

 of pollution is duck farms. Abatement is proceeding but not complete. The 

 population of Suffolk County is growing by 3.3% annually. National growth 

 is less than 1% per yr. Only 7% of the population is served by sewers, thus 

 93% dispose of wastes into cesspools and septic tanks. Many builders of 

 tract homes construct small sewage treatment plants, which chlorinate and 

 give secondary treatment, then discharge to lagoons or cesspools, to seep 

 into the sandy soil. In Bay Shore Cove, a polluted area closed to shell- 

 fishing, it is suspected that most coliform bacteria come from land runoff. 

 Long Island has more than 2,000 recharge basins, which receive much storm 

 water from streets and parking fields in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The 

 Great South Bay watershed has an estimated population of up to 100,000 dogs 

 which produce about 10 tons of feces per day. Much of this probably washes 

 directly into the Bay during storms. Such runoff often contains very high 

 counts of coliform bacteria, also pesticides and heavy metals. The New York 

 Pure Waters Program has already improved conditions in such places as the 

 Hudson and East Rivers. In many shellfish growing areas pollution is 

 increasing because human population is growing faster than waste water 

 facilities. The State operated a pilot-plant depuration facility for a 

 while, which cleansed clams in 48 hours. No commercial depuration facility 

 for hard clam exists on Long Island, although there is one for soft clam. 

 Transplanting of clams to certified areas is permitted. Depuration period 

 usually is 30 days. To the end of 1973, 168,156 bushels of hard clam had 

 been transplanted. This reduces expense of patrolling closed areas, 

 reduces public health hazards, and makes available a resource that otherwise 

 might be wasted. Other activities of State and local governments encourage 

 industry to make maximum use of clean waters. The population of Suffolk 

 County is expected to double by 2000. This probably will lead to more 

 closures of shellfish grounds. The State will make every effort to 

 minimize adverse effects on shellf isheries . - J.L.M. 



928 



Jensen, A. C. 1975. 



The legal mandate to manage. In Proceedings of a Workshop on the Shellfish 

 Management Program in New York State. N.Y.S. Dept. Envir. Conserv. and 

 N.Y. Sea Grant Inst., Albany: 10-15. 



Mercenaria meveenavia is not mentioned specifically, but the paper reviews 

 federal and state laws and policies relating to fisheries, including those 

 affecting the hard clam industry in New York. - J.L.M. 



929 



Jensen, Albert C. 1975. 



The economic halo of a red tide. Proc. 1st Internatl. Conf. on toxic 

 dinoflagellate blooms. V. R. LoCicero (ed) . Mass. Sci. Technol . Found., 

 Wakefield, Mass.: 508-516. 



An unusual red tide developed in September 1972 in coastal waters from Me. 

 to Mass. Traces were found as far south as Cape Cod, whereas usually such 

 blooms have not been observed south of northern Me. Harvest and sale of 

 hard clam, among other mollusks, were banned. Conn, and N.Y. halted import 

 and sale of shellfish from affected states. No evidence of a bloom was 

 seen in N.Y. waters, but the public avoided seafood products, especially 



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