Sales up in Conn. due to red tide Long Island Sound business booming

GREENWICH, Conn. – The toxic algae that has shut down many shellfishing operations from Maine to Massachusetts has left Connecticut’s crop untouched and business booming.

The “red tide” taints shellfish such as clams and mussels, making them unsafe for people and animals to eat. It does not pose a risk to people who eat lobsters, scallops and finned fish.

Since May, Maine and Massachusetts have declared states of emergency and asked for federal disaster relief for the shellfishing industry.

The outbreak has had little to no effect on the seafood supply from Long Island Sound and has opened up some sales in the Boston area, Connecticut seafood dealers say.

After hauling seafood from Boston to its operations in Connecticut, Fjord Fisheries’ delivery truck usually returns with an empty cargo hold.

But in the past few weeks, since the red tide outbreak, owner Jardar Nygaard has stocked the back with oysters and clams a Long Island Sound supplier wants to sell in Boston.

When asked by customers about red tide, local retailers have a ready answer.

“That’s in Massachusetts,” Nygaard tells customers at his Greenwich and Westport shops. “We’re not buying from Massachusetts.”

Nygaard said he uses the income he receives from hauling Long Island shellfish to pay for fuel costs on his Boston-based delivery truck.

Even if beds in northern New England open, some Connecticut merchants say they will stick with selling the local clams.

“Some of the best clams come out of Long Island Sound,” said Michael Elsas, an owner of the Boston Fish Market. “You get nice plump full clams.”

Shellfish prices normally increase during the Fourth of July holiday and then decrease, merchants said. But if the red tide outbreak keeps northern New England shellfishing beds closed, it’s unclear whether the seafood market will be as predictable this year.

“I’ve never had a red tide thing last this long,” Nygaard said. “That’s very rare.”