Red tide closes shellfish beds in Mass

BOSTON (AP) - The red tide is hitting the northern Massachusetts coast.

The state Division of Marine Fisheries said Friday that an area stretching from Boston to the New Hampshire border would be closed to the harvesting of blue mussels, surf clams, carnivorous snails and whole sea scallops.

The Cape Ann area, which includes Gloucester, has been closed to the taking of all bivalve shellfish until further notice because of the toxic algae bloom.

Sea scallop adductor muscle is excluded from the ban.

Eating shellfish with high levels of red tide can cause potentially fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning.