Massachusetts will reopen Ipswich Treadwell Island and Fox creeks to year-round shellfishing

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries plans to reopen two Ipswich shellfish areas that have been locked down for more than two years. Regional Shellfish Supervisor Wayne Castonguay told the town's shellfish task force late last month that Treadwell Island Creek and Fox Creek will open year-round — not just the old October-to-May window — after testing showed wastewater plant effluent does not reach either creek. The Local News reported the update Nov. 5, 2026, and Castonguay said the openings were expected "in a matter of days."

DMF also plans to shrink the Middle Ground closure that followed high fecal-coliform counts last year. Extra stations around Middle Ground have stayed clean, so flats including the big razor-clam bed, areas toward Rowley, Point Peter, Grape Island, Eel Run, Appleton's and the Bull can reopen in the coming weeks. The core Middle Ground station still needs a clean monthly sample for 15 months before it can fully reopen; officials point to seagulls feeding at a nearby composting site as the likely bacteria source.

The Ipswich River flats remain closed under FDA rules that expand shellfish buffers around wastewater plants. Ipswich's plant discharges into Greenwood Creek, which feeds the river. Harvesters who lost their winter river flats welcomed the creek reopenings but pressed the task force to keep chasing a fix for the river itself. Sen. Bruce Tarr, who chairs the task force, said the group is not giving up on the river while it banks the gains DMF can deliver now. Rainfall closure thresholds at the two creeks may also rise after more testing, which Castonguay said could roughly double open harvest days.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: The Local News (Ipswich) — State to expand harvesting in three Ipswich shellfishing areas (Nov. 5, 2026).