East Lyme Shellfishing Areas Open Friday—But Keep Your Catch Cool

Shellfish lovers will be pleased to know that East Lyme Area A in the Niantic River and Area E in Niantic Bay opened at dawn on Friday. If you're planning to go, however, do make sure you bring ice with you. 

Rising water temperatures increase the risk of people getting sick if they eat shellfish that hasn't been stored or cooked correctly. 

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a naturally occurring bacteria in shellfish that increases when the water temperature heats up. The Centers for Disease Control has reported a 115 percent rise in the incidence of illnesses caused by Vibrio bacteria between 1996 and 2012. 

Symptoms—including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, headache, fever and chills—appear 12 hours after eating raw or undercooked shellfish. This increase in bacteria can also result in wound and systemic infections related to contact with contaminated seawater in addition to foodborne illnesses. 

Here are some tips from the State Department of Agriculture to help you reduce the risk.

Harvesting Shellfish 

• Harvest only from areas that you have a permit from and harvest only from areas that are open.
• Harvest as soon as possible after the tide goes out (at the beginning of the tide cycle instead of at the end so that flats have been exposed for as little time as possible). 
• Keep shellfish submerged until you leave the harvest area
• Keep shellfish shaded until placed on ice or into refrigeration 
• Do not harvest oysters that have been exposed to direct sunlight for more than two hours. 

Storing Shellfish

• Place shellfish place on ice or under refrigeration at less than 45°F immediately after harvest.
• Never leave shellfish in car unless they are on ice in cooler
• Thoroughly cook your shellfish: the internal temperature must reach 145°F for 15 seconds. Thorough cooking does destroy V. parahaemolyticus, but barbequing oysters or steaming clams just until they open will not inactivate the bacteria. 

Cooking Shellfish  

• Shucked shellfish (clams, mussels and oysters without shells) become plump and opaque when cooked thoroughly and the edges of the oysters start to curl. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests boiling shucked oysters for 3 minutes, frying them in oil at 375° F for 10 minutes, or baking them at 450° F for 10 minutes. 
• Clams, mussels and oysters in the shell will open when cooked. The FDA suggests steaming oysters for 4 to 9 minutes or boiling them for 3 to 5 minutes after they open. 
• Scallops turn milky white or opaque and firm. Depending on size, scallops take 3 to 4 minutes to cook thoroughly. 
• Boiled lobster turns bright red. Allow 5 to 6 minutes; start timing the lobster when the water comes back to a full boil. 
• Shrimp turn pink and firm. Depending on the size, it takes from 3 to 5 minutes to boil or steam 1 pound of medium size shrimp in the shell.