The emergency shellfish closure of Perrin River has been extended through March 21, according to a news release from the Virginia Department of Health, Division of Shellfish Sanitation.

The closure was imposed Feb. 21 because of a diesel fuel leakage from a sunken vessel. It was originally slated to end Tuesday, but the extension was instead announced that day. VDH stated that “shellfish monitoring conducted since the spill confirmed the presence of petroleum products.”

The Division of Shellfish Sanitation will continue to monitor seawater and shellfish to determine if the area can safely be opened sooner, the release said. Details may be found through a link available on the division’s home page: www.vdh.virginia.gov/shellfish. ...