Someone studying the annual report of condemned acreage in local waters will find both bad news and good news as of July 1, 2019.

The bad news is that the total area of local waterways where shellfish harvesting is not allowed has increased in the past 12 months from 5,714.1 to 6,905.4 acres.

The good news is that thanks to a relatively new program of the state’s Division of Shellfish Safety, large areas of these waters may be opened for up to seven months if conditionally approved by the state. Waterbodies where such approval may be possible in part or whole are marked with an asterisk on the table that accompanies this article. A map showing condemned areas shows these portions in green.

In other cases, no area of the waterbody can be opened to harvesting. Relaying of shellfish from these areas is possible in most cases, but absolutely prohibited in an 18.8-acre segment of Milford Haven near the Coast Guard Station outfall.

Daniel Powell, analyst with DSS, said the agency b...