Clams

[sellitman]

Dear NY Times,

I have to write about the fatalistic article "Dark Days for the Fried Clam, a Summer Staple" 6/13/05.

http://babyurl.com/svSmzh

Are we to accept this and not ponder why? While interesting from a gastronomic standpoint (I will miss not enjoying fried clams at my local Clam Festival, as noted), your readers are disserviced. We should be concerned with reasons for this clam contamination. How this event can be directly connected with the cuts by the Bush Administration for funding of sewage treatment facilities and EPA enforcement. Through a record setting spring rainfall in the northeast, roads overflowed nutrient laden water. Since many municipal sewer and water drain systems are still tied to one another, water mixes with un-treated sewage, overwhelming treatment plants and is diverted directly out to sea. The cost to separate these facilities, is what many towns cannot afford without Federal money. Nutrient loaded oceans form the algae bloom, (Red Tide) and thus close shellfish beds and is also later, large scale marine mammal die offs. This was not a natural fate, we made choices, and this is why we have no fried clams! A direct consequence of the Bush administrations continual and comprehensive assault on our Environment.

[cap]

1. I think we need to accumulate more stories like this...

Bush is supposed to be pro-business... but it is really favoring one business over another. Cutting EPA oversight is great for some industries at a cost to other ones.

[BikeWriter]

2. This really sucks. Expect to see it worsen.

[CTyankee]

3. Years ago I got Hepatitis A from raw clams

I am really not taking any chances any more. I only eat shellfish at restaurants that I know are safe (like Legal Seafoods that tests all their fish). This is limiting but this is very serious.