Shellfishing season to be extended

Shellfishing for quahog and oysters will now be allowed on Tuesdays and through April, with approval from the Select Board.

Previously, shellfishing was prohibited on Sundays through Mondays as a conservation effort, and the season ran from October 31 to March 31 when the water is at its coldest.

Harbormaster Steve Melo said that the water is still cold enough in April for shellfishing to be safe and that the conservation effort has “paid off.”

He added that the conservation effort has also “unfortunately” been helped by sewage overflow in New Bedford shutting down shellfishing operations.

“We’re seeing more closures, more days closed because of water quality, than are going to open,” Melo said. “The stock is multiplying.”

He noted that by allowing shellfishing on Tuesdays and extending the season by a month the town can mitigate the impact of combined sewer overflow on recreational and commercial shellfishing.