Lake Tashmoo Closed to Shellfishing

Yesterday afternoon, the town of Tisbury advised residents not to harvest or eat any shellfish coming from the Tashmoo flats near the lake’s opening. Tashmoo is called a lake, but it is actually connected to the Vineyard Sound by a narrow channel.

“There has been a weird pink coloration on the sediment lately, well the results came back: it is Prorocentrum lima, a benthic toxic algae. It produces okadaic acid which is a nasty neurotoxin.” The Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group posted on their Facebook page. They also advised that, “It doesn't go away with cooking.”

Prorocentrum lima is a fast-acting toxic dinoflagellate species known to produce a number of toxic substances. The strain was found during a routine water test on Wednesday and people are advised to dispose of all shellfish recently caught in Lake Tashmoo, as they do not know how long the algae bloom has been there.