NJ suspends shellfish harvest after high levels of fecal bacteria found in Monmouth, Ocean

Amanda Oglesby, Asbury Park Press
·1 min read

High levels of fecal bacteria prompted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to announce a temporary suspension on shellfish harvesting in areas of Ocean and Monmouth counties this week.

Harvesting remains off limits in the Shark River as well as three areas of Barnegat Bay: Double Creek, Forked River and Oyster Creek, according to the state department.

Harvesting is also suspended in Little Egg Harbor, between Channel Cove and Mud Cove, according to department officials.

File photo: An oyster farmer shucks an oyster on the New Meadows River in Maine in 2021.
File photo: An oyster farmer shucks an oyster on the New Meadows River in Maine in 2021.

"Water sampling data collected and analyzed by the Department indicate that certain shellfish growing waters do not consistently meet the fecal coliform standards for Approved or Restricted waters," water quality officials wrote on the agency's website.

Fecal coliforms are types of bacteria that live in the digestive track of humans and animals. They can contaminate local water systems through leaky septic systems, sewers, farms and local wildlife, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

When found in water, fecal coliforms can indicate the presence of other harder-to-detect bacteria that cause illness, such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis A and cholera, according the federal agency.

Eating contaminated shellfish can result in severe illness. Fully cooking contaminated shellfish will not prevent all types of illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The shellfish harvesting suspension remains in effect until lifted by the Department of Environmental Protection.

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Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ suspends shellfish harvest in Monmouth, Ocean due to fecal bacteria