Following a heated discussion, Town of Oyster Bay councilmembers tabled a proposed short-term moratorium on shellfish harvest in the harbor on Tuesday.
The proposed ban, which would last three to six months, would allow the town to conduct environmental testing in the bay that would be used to create a Bay Management Plan, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said.
But independent harvesters strongly objected to the proposal, saying they should be allowed to continue their operations during these testing periods,
A representative of Frank M. Flower & Sons Inc., a local family business that currently owns 1,850 acres in the harbor, said the shellfish population on the leased land belongs to them.
But Saladiino and independent baymen said Flower and Sons’ ownership will end on Sept. 30, when its 30-year lease expires.
