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Algae forces shellfishing ban in most of Narragansett Bay

In this Thursday, May 19, 2016, photo, Mike Mohr, captain of the fishing vessel E.S.S. Pursuit, cradles quahog clams on the deck of his ship while offloading a two-day haul at a dock in New Bedford, Mass. Those clams, which he once caught off the New Jersey shore, have migrated northward or farther out to sea. About 10 years ago, Mohr started commuting six hours each way from his New Jersey home to New Bedford to harvest them. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Charles Krupa / AP

By Associated Press

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A harmful algae bloom is forcing the closure of most of Narragansett Bay to shellfishing.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management closed shellfishing from Conimicut Point in Warwick south to the mouth of Narragansett Bay starting Friday morning.

The agency says a toxic phytoplankton caused a harmful algae bloom.

Many tributaries to the bay are closed. Mount Hope Bay and the Kickemuit River are closed but scheduled to open at noon on Saturday.

The agency says it’s working with the Department of Health to monitor shellfish for the toxin domoic acid, which can cause amnesiac shellfish poisoning.