Shellfish harvesting at Three Mile Harbor banned into next week

Shellfish harvesting at Three Mile Harbor in East Hampton will remain closed through next week in anticipation of contamination from the annual Clamshell Foundation Fireworks Show on Saturday, the Department of Environmental Conservation announced.

The harbor, which was closed to shellfish harvesting this week due to recent heavy rainfalls, will remain closed into the middle of next week, the department said in a statement.

Since 1993, the DEC said, it has closed shell fishing on the day of the fireworks and the following four days "due to the increased potential for contamination of shellfish beds" from the hundreds of expected boaters.

For example, potential discharges of waste from sanitation devices or toilets can "temporarily contaminate nearby shellfish beds with pathogenic bacteria or viruses, rendering the shellfish unsafe for human consumption," a news release said.

All of the Peconic-Gardiners Bay area, including Three Mile Harbor, is a no-discharge zone, and boaters are required to use pump-out facilities.

The marina has been closed to shellfish harvesting since Tuesday due to recent rainfalls.

"The extremely heavy rainfall and extraordinary amounts of stormwater runoff and localized street flooding associated with the rainfall event from July 5 through July 6, 2026, resulted in conditions which may cause shellfish to be hazardous for use as food," the department said in the news release. "These conditions prompted an emergency closure that will extend throughout the planned closure for the fireworks event."

Shellfish harvesting will resume when the DEC determines the water quality is acceptable.