Fisheries eligible to reel in federal aid

Called deserving because red tide has hurt business

Clam beds at the Ipswich Salt Marsh were closed in May because of red tide, toxic algae blooms. (BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF/FILE)

Shellfish closings linked to red tide in waters off Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine have caused a commercial fishery failure, a designation that opens the door to federal disaster assistance to shellfishermen and others in the industry.

The announcement yesterday by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was made in response to a request two months ago by Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts.

"This disaster declaration is a lifeline for thousands of our shellfishermen," said Senator John F. Kerry. "Communities up and down our coast have been walloped by the latest red tide contamination and will now be eligible for federal financial assistance."

Kerry, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and the rest of the state's congressional delegation supported Patrick's request.

Kennedy praised President George W. Bush for issuing the disaster declaration and Patrick for seeking that certification, according to a statement released by Kennedy's spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner.

Shellfish closings arising from the toxic algae bloom began in May in waters off Massachusetts and spread north to New Hampshire and Maine.

The closings bar the harvest of clams, mussels, oysters, and other shellfish where red tide has been detected. Eating shellfish with high levels of the toxin can cause potentially fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning.

In some areas, red tide reached record levels early in the summer.

The contamination was so high that the state, for the first time, detected potentially toxic levels in the tomalley, or liver, of lobsters. That led the US Food and Drug Administration to reiterate its warnings against eating lobster tomalley.

By August, red tide levels began dropping. Since then, some closings have been ended, but many areas still remain off-limits to harvesting.