Memorial Day Jamaica Bay Illegal Clamming - Queens County

On May 30, ECOs Brussell, McCarthy, and Milliron were patrolling Jamaica Bay and observed numerous people on the beach taking hard clams. It is illegal to harvest shellfish in Jamaica Bay due to sanitary conditions. To protect public health and safety, ECOs are tasked with conducting regular patrols to make sure people are not harvesting shellfish from closed areas. The ECOs caught up to three different groups of people bringing clams back to their vehicles. In total, eight individuals were ticketed for taking shellfish from uncertified shellfish lands and 725 clams were seized and returned to the water.


Confiscated shellfish at Jamaica Bay