The Jenkins Sound is being opened seasonally for recreational and commercial shellfishing January to April, while the ocean grounds off Stone Harbor will be opened year-round for commercial harvesting of surf clams. The DEP was able to allow fishing in Jenkins Sound for the first time since the 1960s after water quality remained acceptable for three years. The Jenkins Sound will join other back bay coastal waters open to recreational and commercial harvesting of hard-shelled clams, such as littlenecks and cherrystones. Some areas of the Navesink River and Raritan Bay, where water quality still does not meet acceptable levels, also are open to commercial clamming, provided that the clams undergo a 48-hour purification process to kill bacteria and remove impurities. The process, which filters the clams with purified water and subjects them to ultraviolet light, allows the clams to be eaten raw or cooked.
New Jersey has two depuration plants, one in Highlands and the other in Sea Bright.
All 2,148 ocean acres off Stone Harbor, on the other hand, will be open only for the harvesting of larger surf clams that are processed chowders and canning. Shellfishing in New Jersey waters requires a state license for either recreational or commercial harvesting. Back bay shellfishing is not permitted on Sundays, a prohibition that historically has rankled recreational clammers. Commercial shellfishermen argue the Sunday ban helps preserve the beds from over- harvesting, while the recreational clammers counter that it deprives them of one weekend day when they are likely to be off from work.