PROVIDENCE - The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced today the Conimicut Triangle in Upper Narragansett Bay will reopen to shellfish harvesting at sunrise tomorrow, Friday December 23. The opening comes more than two days earlier than expected.
The shellfish closure began on Sunday, December 18 - following significant rainfall 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 Tuesday December 20. A seven-day closure of the area is enacted after a half-inch (0.5") of rainfall.
At this time, the conditional area of Greenwich Bay will remain closed to shellfishing through noon on Sunday, December 25. The waters of Greenwich Bay subject to the seasonal closure are scheduled to reopen at sunrise on Sunday, January 1, 2017.
For timely updates on shellfish closures, call the DEM 24-hour shellfishing hotline at 401-222-2900. For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM or on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) for timely updates.