Illegal Shellfish - Queens County

[george]

On July 31, ECO Matthew Thibodeau received a complaint that a group in Queens were using seine nets to illegally catch and keep protected marine species on the shore of Jamaica Bay. ECO Thibodeau and ECO Jeffery Johnston quickly located the individuals, who had buckets full of thousands of Atlantic Silverside (also called spearing), a populous fish species that live near the water's edge and are used as baitfish for larger game fish. The small net the men were using was legal, but an undersized fluke and more than 250 mussels taken from the uncertified waters of the bay were mixed into the buckets of legal spearing. Harvesting shellfish in Jamaica Bay (uncertified waters) is illegal, and a total of four summonses were issued to the group for the various violations. The ECOs also made sure to educate the netters on the recreational fishing limits and shellfish regulations for the marine district to avoid future problems.

The legal spearing and the illegal mussels​

 

[MOJOE]

On July 31, ECO Matthew Thibodeau received a complaint that a group in Queens were using seine nets to illegally catch and keep protected marine species on the shore of Jamaica Bay. ECO Thibodeau and ECO Jeffery Johnston quickly located the individuals, who had buckets full of thousands of Atlantic Silverside (also called spearing), a populous fish species that live near the water's edge and are used as baitfish for larger game fish. The small net the men were using was legal, but an undersized fluke and more than 250 mussels taken from the uncertified waters of the bay were mixed into the buckets of legal spearing. Harvesting shellfish in Jamaica Bay (uncertified waters) is illegal, and a total of four summonses were issued to the group for the various violations. The ECOs also made sure to educate the netters on the recreational fishing limits and shellfish regulations for the marine district to avoid future problems.

The legal spearing and the illegal mussels​

damm george ,,,, in my neck of the woods,,,,,,,thats alot of spearing,, that much is legal ,, well than fry them up,, yum yum,,,,,,,,, ><))):>
><))):>

 

[Rick67]

Only takes one bad shellfish to kill. J Bay waters are closed for good reason. Always wondered what was the big deal about these waters compared to those waters. The first time I heard of someone falling to a clam I looked up info.

[There are four different types of shellfish sickness. All four types share some common features (such as headache and nausea), but each one has a horrible feature all its very own:

• When you think of seafood sickness in general, you probably imagine something much like diarrheal shellfish poisoning. It's the old-fashioned, one-day kind, and the preferred form among shellfish connoisseurs. It plays all the popular hits: vomiting, abdominal pain, date-ending diarrhea. It won't kill you, but it may cure you of your shellfish addiction.

• Whereas diarrheal shellfish poisoning begins its ominous rumblings about half an hour after eating bad shellfish, paralytic shellfish poisoning instead causes numbness and tingling in your mouth. This is a good time to ask the waiter for the check. Soon, the tingling will spread to your arms and legs and you'll feel like you're floating. While some people pay good money for drugs to feel this way, this is the most serious form of shellfish poisoning -- it can paralyze your lungs and kill you in as little as two hours. The fatality rate is as high as 12 percent [source: Pledger].

• Because doctors couldn't name this next form of poisoning "temporary insanity shellfish poisoning," they named it neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Suddenly, an ice cube feels hot to you, and a candle flame ice cold. You'll feel a million tiny pinpricks on your skin, your muscles will ache and you'll become dizzy. You won't die, but interestingly, the toxin responsible for this form of poisoning can become aerosolized, meaning you can breathe it in and become sick while walking along the shoreline.

• Shellfish poisoning isn't an experience you'll soon forget, unless it's the type that destroys your memory -- amnesic shellfish poisoning. It sounds like a plausible defense from a criminal attorney: "My client insisted on harvesting his own shellfish in July, got amnesic shellfish poisoning and can't remember where he was on the night in question." Amnesic shellfish poisoning is most common in the Pacific Northwest. The unfortunate consumer of the bad shellfish will first experience "normal" symptoms of seafood poisoning, but may soon become confused, disoriented and even comatose. The cognitive damage is permanent, affecting short-term memory and even causing dementia.]. From How-Stuff-Works.

 

[Avenger]

Yikes!

Another reason not to eat bait.

But I guess harvesting mussels for chum is a no-no also? We used to do it all the time when I was a kid. Pull a bunch off the bank and mash them up in a chum pot for flounder fishing.

 

[Chinacat]

Good info Rick!
Thanks

Living on the east end of LI I often wonder about the reports and people catching fish in that area and the safety of eating ANYTHING from that area??

I understand lots of what we catch and eat out east comes from or may pass through worse areas but not sure how comfortable I'd feel taking something directly from there.

 

[CELLFISH]

Only takes one bad shellfish to kill. J Bay waters are closed for good reason. Always wondered what was the big deal about these waters compared to those waters. The first time I heard of someone falling to a clam I looked up info.

[There are four different types of shellfish sickness. All four types share some common features (such as headache and nausea), but each one has a horrible feature all its very own:

• When you think of seafood sickness in general, you probably imagine something much like diarrheal shellfish poisoning. It's the old-fashioned, one-day kind, and the preferred form among shellfish connoisseurs. It plays all the popular hits: vomiting, abdominal pain, date-ending diarrhea. It won't kill you, but it may cure you of your shellfish addiction.

• Whereas diarrheal shellfish poisoning begins its ominous rumblings about half an hour after eating bad shellfish, paralytic shellfish poisoning instead causes numbness and tingling in your mouth. This is a good time to ask the waiter for the check. Soon, the tingling will spread to your arms and legs and you'll feel like you're floating. While some people pay good money for drugs to feel this way, this is the most serious form of shellfish poisoning -- it can paralyze your lungs and kill you in as little as two hours. The fatality rate is as high as 12 percent [source: Pledger].

• Because doctors couldn't name this next form of poisoning "temporary insanity shellfish poisoning," they named it neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Suddenly, an ice cube feels hot to you, and a candle flame ice cold. You'll feel a million tiny pinpricks on your skin, your muscles will ache and you'll become dizzy. You won't die, but interestingly, the toxin responsible for this form of poisoning can become aerosolized, meaning you can breathe it in and become sick while walking along the shoreline.

• Shellfish poisoning isn't an experience you'll soon forget, unless it's the type that destroys your memory -- amnesic shellfish poisoning. It sounds like a plausible defense from a criminal attorney: "My client insisted on harvesting his own shellfish in July, got amnesic shellfish poisoning and can't remember where he was on the night in question." Amnesic shellfish poisoning is most common in the Pacific Northwest. The unfortunate consumer of the bad shellfish will first experience "normal" symptoms of seafood poisoning, but may soon become confused, disoriented and even comatose. The cognitive damage is permanent, affecting short-term memory and even causing dementia.]. From How-Stuff-Works.

three years ago I was coming home from Albany Medical Center with a near life changing diagnose. Guillain Barré syndrome.. made a bad mistake eating mussels +3 weeks earlier from China town, nyc...
was a miracle I came home in one piece... cellfish...
,
Guillain–Barré syndrome - Wikipedia
.

 

[george]

Wow Celli that is scary.

 

[pequa1]

Yikes!

Another reason not to eat bait.

But I guess harvesting mussels for chum is a no-no also? We used to do it all the time when I was a kid. Pull a bunch off the bank and mash them up in a chum pot for flounder fishing.

I did the same. Fortunately in my area flounder are virtually extinct and I haven't even tried to fish for them since the 90s, much less gathered up some mussels since then.

 

[pequa1]

Only takes one bad shellfish to kill. J Bay waters are closed for good reason. Always wondered what was the big deal about these waters compared to those waters. The first time I heard of someone falling to a clam I looked up info.

[There are four different types of shellfish sickness. All four types share some common features (such as headache and nausea), but each one has a horrible feature all its very own:

• When you think of seafood sickness in general, you probably imagine something much like diarrheal shellfish poisoning. It's the old-fashioned, one-day kind, and the preferred form among shellfish connoisseurs. It plays all the popular hits: vomiting, abdominal pain, date-ending diarrhea. It won't kill you, but it may cure you of your shellfish addiction.

• Whereas diarrheal shellfish poisoning begins its ominous rumblings about half an hour after eating bad shellfish, paralytic shellfish poisoning instead causes numbness and tingling in your mouth. This is a good time to ask the waiter for the check. Soon, the tingling will spread to your arms and legs and you'll feel like you're floating. While some people pay good money for drugs to feel this way, this is the most serious form of shellfish poisoning -- it can paralyze your lungs and kill you in as little as two hours. The fatality rate is as high as 12 percent [source: Pledger].

• Because doctors couldn't name this next form of poisoning "temporary insanity shellfish poisoning," they named it neurotoxic shellfish poisoning. Suddenly, an ice cube feels hot to you, and a candle flame ice cold. You'll feel a million tiny pinpricks on your skin, your muscles will ache and you'll become dizzy. You won't die, but interestingly, the toxin responsible for this form of poisoning can become aerosolized, meaning you can breathe it in and become sick while walking along the shoreline.

• Shellfish poisoning isn't an experience you'll soon forget, unless it's the type that destroys your memory -- amnesic shellfish poisoning. It sounds like a plausible defense from a criminal attorney: "My client insisted on harvesting his own shellfish in July, got amnesic shellfish poisoning and can't remember where he was on the night in question." Amnesic shellfish poisoning is most common in the Pacific Northwest. The unfortunate consumer of the bad shellfish will first experience "normal" symptoms of seafood poisoning, but may soon become confused, disoriented and even comatose. The cognitive damage is permanent, affecting short-term memory and even causing dementia.]. From How-Stuff-Works.

When I was still working doing national security and common federal background investigations I had to interview some shellfish inspectors at the FDA bldg near York College. One guy had a stack of folders on his desk, mostly North Shore but some South and all were about to be published for announcing area closings. Took me a couple of years before I went clamming again, lol.