Total acreage of local waterways where shellfish may not be harvested, seasonally or year-round, has dropped. From 2024 until July 1, 2026, according to records kept by the Virginia Department of Health, local waters closed to shellfish taking dropped 1,000 acres: from 6,800 to 5,792. Daniel Powell, who maintains the state’s records of such waters, noted, “we are seeing an improvement in water quality defined by a decrease in closed acreage.” He added, “Such a large area can be impacted by a multitude of different facts but, until recently, we have been in a dry period and it is no secret that a drought equals decreased bacteria counts in water quality sampling.” In Gloucester, the total change was down from 2,688 to 2,476 acres. Mathews County experienced a small increase, from 1,155 to 1,225 acres. Waters shared by the counties with others experienced the largest decrease. The Gloucester-Middlesex figure, for the Piankatank River and French’s and Ferry Creek, dropped from 1,632 to 1,...