Shellfish Bed Closures in the Northeast United States, 1995
| Analytical Overview |
| Pathogens are discharged to coastal waters through both point and nonpoint sources, especially insufficiently treated sewage that is released from septic systems on land and on ships, and from agriculture and stormwater runoff. Higher concentrations tend to occur after storms and related overflow of sewer systems, making it difficult to interpret trend and temporal fluctuations. Because of the relatively low persistence of pathogens in the coastal environment, impacts are usually seasonal or acute. |
Map Projection
Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal
Map Description
A variety of pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and parasitic worms, exist in seawater and can cause diseases in plants, animals, and people. Impacts include human illness, seafood contamination, and recreational beach closures. This map presents the results of shellfish growing water monitoring for northeast U.S. In the United States in 1995, out of over 10 million hectares of shellfish growing waters that were monitored, some 69 percent were approved for harvest - up from 58 percent in 1985. The commercial harvest of these waters in 1995 totaled 77 million pounds of oysters, clams, and mussels, worth approximately US$200 million at dockside.
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Citation:
World Resources Institute - PAGE, 2000
Sources:
- NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). 1997, The 1995 National Shellfish Register. Silver Spring, MD:NOAA.