The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced today that Conditional Area A and Conimicut Triangle in Upper Narragansett Bay will reopen to shellfish harvesting at sunrise tomorrow; the opening comes four days earlier than anticipated.
The shellfish closure began at noon on Tuesday, February 16 - following significant rainfall and snowmelt in the Providence area. Re-opening is permitted once post-storm monitoring data declares it safe. The data used to determine this early opening was collected on Thursday.
A seven-day closure of these areas is enacted according to the following: Conimicut Triangle after a half-inch (0.5") of rainfall, Area A after eight-tenths of an inch (0.8") of rainfall, and Area B after an inch and a half (1.5") of rainfall. At this time, Greenwich Bay and Mt. Hope Bay and Kickemuit River are closed to shellfishing through noon on Wednesday, February 24.
DEM maintains a 24-hour shellfishing hotline, providing updates on shellfish closure areas: 401-222-2900. For more information on DEM divisions and programs, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.