Learn About Shellfish Harvesting Opportunities
With The Great Bay Coast Watch

Contact: Ann Reid
NH Sea Grant
603.749.1565
ann.reid@unh.edu

Date: June 7, 2005



PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – Where can you capture a clam or a mussel? What does a red tide mean for your oyster-hunting hobby? On Tuesday, June 14, 2005, the Great Bay Coast Watch will sponsor a presentation on recreational shellfish harvesting at the Urban Forestry Center in Portsmouth. Refreshments will be available at 6:15 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7 p.m.
     
Chris Nash, shellfish program manager for the N.H. Department of Environmental Services, will present “Changes to Shellfish Harvesting Opportunities in Great Bay.” Nash will discuss recent changes to openings and closures of shellfish beds in areas such as Great Bay, Little Bay and the Bellamy River. In addition, Nash and the Coast Watch staff will give an update on the current red tide events along the northeastern Atlantic coast and discuss how such events affect the shellfish harvest.
     
The Great Bay Coast Watch is a volunteer organization that monitors water quality throughout the Great Bay Estuary and organizes a variety of educational programs for the public. For more information, contact Great Bay Coast Watch coordinator Ann Reid at 603-749-1565 or ann.reid@unh.edu. The Urban Forestry Center is located at 45 Elwyn Road in Portsmouth.