South Shore: Shellfish beds reopen after Red Tide subsides

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has reopened the South Shore waters for shellfishing, after closing them for most of the summer due to red tide.

Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, Plymouth and Boston shellfishing areas were closed May 25th after official determined the areas contained Paralytic Shellfish Poison toxin, also known as “Red Tide”.

Starting Wednesday, the beds are open again for shellfish harvesting– with the exception of of carnivorous snails and whole sea scallops, which are still off-limits.

Red tide is caused by a bloom of ocean algae that produce a toxin that contaminates shellfish when they feed.

People who eat tainted shellfish can get paralytic shellfish poisoning, which can be fatal.

Red tide poses no threat to people who eat scallops, lobster, fish and shrimp.