REHOBOTH BEACH — The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on Tuesday announced the end of a 21-day emergency closure of commercial and recreational shellfish harvesting of oysters, clams and mussels in the Rehoboth Bay.

The restriction went into effect Dec. 28, 2021, after a spill from a residential sewer line in the Long Neck area discharged untreated wastewater into the bay.

The shellfish harvest closure was initiated by DNREC on account of potential risk to public health from marine life that may have been impacted by the spill. DNREC bases the span of such closures on Food and Drug Administration guidelines under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program — with 21 days deemed an abundance of caution for public protection against pathogens of concern, including viruses, that might be associated with wastewater exposure.

The state’s shellfish industry, consisting of commercial oyster growers and wild-clam harvesters, cooperated with DNREC in continuing to ensure that product harvested in Delaware waters was of the highest quality and in putting the safety of consumers first when making decisions to close and open areas to shellfish harvest.

More information can be found here.