At a Shellfish Commission meeting on Sept. 4, the commission received encouraging news regarding the shell fishing beds in town. At the meeting, representatives from the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Aquaculture (DABA) presented the results of surveys of water and tissue samples to the commission, clearing the way for recreational shellfishing to return to Clinton in the near future.

“There are no obvious red flags that would stop them from changing the classification of some of the shellfish beds in Clinton,” Shellfish Commission Chair Wayne Church said, noting that DABA is “the authority that will classify and reclassify shellfish beds in the state. They have specifications and guidelines that they need to follow from the FDA.”

DABA identified the area in Clinton Harbor from the northern part of Clinton Town Beach extending south and ending slightly before the beginning of West Road.

Getting approval to open recreational shellfishing in Clinton was a process that took several steps forward in the last year. In June 2017, a memo from DABA instructed the commission that monthly water samples from multiple areas were required, as well as oyster samples.

There is still work to be done before any beds can open. A walking survey of Clinton’s shoreline needs to be completed on Cedar Island, and more water and tissue samples will need to conducted.

The commission has begun developing a template for a permit to allow recreational shellfishing. The permit will need to be discussed with various agencies in town such as the Park & Recreation Department, the Town Clerk’s Office, and the town’s lawyer.

Church said he’d like the shellfishing permits available as soon as Dec. 1, however it may be more realistic to expect them available next spring.