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State Reopens Newburyport Clams Flats Closed For 80 Years

The state is reopening 250 acres of clam flats in Newburyport that had been shut down for the last 80 years because of bacterial contamination.

State officials say a section of the Joppa Flat in the Merrimack River estuary will now be open to specially-licensed commercial softshell clam diggers.

The harvesting will be limited to weekdays and the clams must be treated at a Division of Marine Fisheries plant where the shellfish cleanse themselves in clean seawater.

The flat will also be closed for several days after a quarter inch of rain, which can bring contaminated run off.

The Joppa Flat was once one of the top clam-producing flats in the state. State officials say it's open again after a concerted Merrimack River cleanup effort that began two decades ago.

This program aired on October 17, 2013. The audio for this program is not available.

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