Shellfishing reopened in some town waterways

Sep 21, 2021

As of Sept. 22, a section of town has been reopened to shellfishing, according to a post on the Wareham Department of Natural Resources’ Facebook page. 

The state’s Division of Marine Fisheries announced that some shellfish grow sites within Wareham’s waterways have been approved to reopen. This includes the Weweantic River, Bourne Cove, Little Harbor, Swifts Beach, Hamilton Beach, Standish Shores, Long Beach, Marks Cove, and Cromesett. (See the attached maps for more information on these shellfish grow sites).

All shellfishing across the state was closed on Sept. 2 because of the heavy rains that occurred when the remnants of Hurricane Ida reached Massachusetts. 

Any conditions or restrictions that were in place at a site before all shellfishing was closed will remain in place as sites reopen.

Until further notice, other areas around the state and in town remain closed to shellfishing.

All rainfall management areas will remain closed. Widows Cove, all of Onset Bay including Wickets Island and Onset Island, Sias Point, Fisherman’s Cove, Butlers Cove, and Buttermilk Bay will remain closed until satisfactory water quality tests are achieved.

Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Sept. 21 to include newly reopened shellfishing sites.