Shellfish ban imposed after Massachusetts oil spil

State authorities have banned shellfish gathering in most of Buzzards Bay in southeastern Massachusetts after some 325 barrels of oil spilled from a barge began washing ashore.

The barge, anchored about 6km from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, began leaking oil on Monday, said United States Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrew Shinn.

The oil began leaking from the barge on Monday but stopped yesterday, and a containment boom was set up around the spill.

Buzzards Bay accounts for about 25 per cent of Massachusetts' shellfish economy and is a significant source of quahogs, bay scallops and oysters.