Development of the Technical Basis and a Management Strategy for Reopening a211 Closed Shellfishing Area

摘要

The acres of productive shellfish waters in coastal areas of the United States211u001eclosed to shellfishing are increasing. Contamination by fecal coliform bacteria, 211u001ean indicator used to signal if waters are safe for shellfish, is the primary 211u001ecause of those closures. The sources responsible for contaminating affected 211u001ewaters are the feces of warm-blooded animals (birds and mammals) which are 211u001edeposited in, or wash into, marine waters. In salt waters exposed to sunlight 211u001efecal coliform bacteria rapidly die or become unculturable. Because of this rapid 211u001edisappearance of fecal coliform bacteria, the causes of shellfish closures are 211u001elocal in nature and thus amendable to local solutions. The study suggests how 211u001emanagers can implement simple community oriented strategies to address local 211u001eproblems of fecal coliform contamination. The managemnet plan developed for Cow 211u001ePen Creek outlines a strategy for the reopening of the shellfishing waters. The 211u001ebenefits of managing each source of fecal coliform bacteria are considered and 211u001ethe societal challenges of implementing the plan are discussed. The result is a 211u001emodel approach for state agencies and for the public in addressing current and 211u001efuture closures of shellfishing areas on a case by case basis.