Relief on the way after Red Tide

By Bina Venkataraman, Globe Correspondent

A federal agency announced today that it will provide up to $5 million in disaster aid to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine to compensate shellfishermen for losses this year due to toxic algal blooms commonly known as the “red tide.”

Massachusetts is eligible for up to $2 million in assistance. The individual states must submit plans for how they will use the aid to the federal agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service, to receive the money.

Beginning in May, the outbreak of algal blooms led to the closures of clam, mussel, and oyster fishing grounds from Cape Cod to central Maine, including -- for the first time in decades -- Boston Harbor. Many of the areas have reopened to fishing, but some remain off-limits. The closures were instated after shellfish were found to be contaminated with a single-cell algae that can be lethal to humans if ingested.

A similar red tide occurred in 2005, after which Massachusetts shellfishermen received nearly $2 million in disaster assistance. This year, Maine will be eligible for up to $2 million in assistance, and New Hampshire up to $1 million.