Overview
- In April 2026, Stony Brook researchers said Vibrio vulnificus, a dangerous bacteria, is present in multiple Long Island ponds and bays, including Sagaponack, Mecox, and Georgica.
- The bacteria can enter through small cuts or raw shellfish and severe cases can be fatal, with public health estimates putting the death rate as high as 15% to 50%.
- The lab’s 2025 monitoring logged dozens of water-quality breakdowns, including harmful algal blooms, rust tide, low-oxygen zones, and shellfish toxins, and the western half of Shinnecock Bay remains closed to shellfishing.
- Scientists point to nitrogen leaking from about 360,000 aging septic and cesspool systems in Suffolk County, along with warming coastal water, as the main drivers of these hazards.
- Suffolk and New York State are funding septic upgrades and aquaculture, and health officials advise checking local notices, keeping wounds out of brackish water, and skipping raw shellfish from closed waters.