Georgia's waters are off-limits for oyster harvesting between now and Sept. 30 by order of the state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Noel Holcomb.

The order, effective last Friday, came in response to coastal water temperatures reaching at least 81 degrees. That's the threshold established by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program for determining risk of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacterium that lives in brackish seawater and causes gastrointestinal illness in humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The order applies to both commercial and recreational oyster harvesting.

In a statement, state Shellfish Program Manager Dominic Guadagnoli said, "This closure ensures that Georgia meets new requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program to protect public health by implementing a Vibrio parahaemolyticus control plan."

Vp is commonly found in filter-feeding shellfish during the months of the year when water temperatures are warm.

According to the state DNR, less than 2 percent of the oysters harvested in Georgia are taken from May through September because of warm water's effect on the quality of the oyster flesh and because oysters spawn in the summer. DNR expects other South Atlantic states to implement similar controls.

According to the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, most Vp cases due to eating raw oysters are underreported. Within three days of consumption, common systems include vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever and chills. Thorough cooking of oysters and other shellfish generally destroys the bacteria.