Alex Palluzzi Photo
Oh … those mighty mollusks!
An unusual influx of razor-sharp oyster shells forced the closure of Stony Creek’s public beach this week. But excavation work last evening cleared the way to open the beach today.
With Permission
Alex Palluzzi, director of Branford’s Parks and Recreation Department, closed the beach indefinitely Monday morning after about a dozen beachgoers sustained cuts in recent days. It was initially thought the problem was due to barnacles stuck on rocks but the real culprit was confirmed Tuesday evening when the rocks were removed.
“It was oysters,” Palluzzi told the Eagle last evening.
“They’re like razors,” said First Selectman Anthony “Unk” DaRos, who watched with Palluzzi as the work was completed last night. DaRos, a native Creeker, said he has never seen a problem like that at the village beach. He said when he was a youngster, kids may have stubbed their toes on the rocks, but the rocks weren’t covered with oyster shells.
He speculated the problem might be due to the recent hot weather, or to the super storms that hit Connecticut in the past two years.
“The stones might be sticking out more than usual, maybe from the storms,” he said. “The oysters had a lot more to grab onto….Oysters stick to stone faster than barnacles.”
Palluzzi said town officials became concerned when a number of children were injured while enjoying the small beach that overlooks the Thimble Islands. He said the majority of cuts were minor but some were severe enough to require medical attention and stitches.
Signs were posted on the beach, the area was roped off with yellow tape, and lifeguards were stationed to warn people that the beach was closed.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in the 31 years I’ve been here,” Palluzzi said.
Alex Palluzzi Photo
He and road supervisor Sal Benelli surveyed the beach Monday and found sharp shells covering the rocks. They contacted Nick Fischer of Fischer Excavating to remove the rocks.
Alex Palluzzi Photo
During low tide last evening, Fischer extricated about a dozen rocks that were deeply embedded in the sand. Palluzzi said half of the rocks were as large as boulders but only a small portion of each rock was visible above the sand. He said there were some barnacles on the rocks, but it was the oyster shells that caused the cuts.
Barnacles are small crustaceans that produce adhesive cement to attach themselves permanently to ship bottoms and rocks. Oysters are mollusks that also produce an adhesive cement to attach themselves to each other, or to rocks and ships.
Palluzzi said none of the other beaches in Branford have been affected, but they will continue to monitor all the beaches to make sure they’re safe.
Palluzzi said the hot and humid weather has increased pool and beach usage. “This is the busiest summer we’ve ever had with pools and beaches,” he said. About 200 families signed up to use the outdoor pool at the Connecticut Hospice — a new program that began this year. “It’s been a big success,” he said.
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