The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to eat sport-harvested bivalve shellfish caught in Santa Cruz County. This includes mussels, clams, scallops and oysters.
The annual mussel quarantine is in effect to protect consumers from paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) and domain (or “amnesic”) acid poisoning. These result from naturally occurring toxins in the shellfish that are particularly high from May 1st to October 31st.
Cooking can not eliminate these toxins.
This warning doesn’t apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters from approved sources, the department said. While sport-harvested shellfish may be toxic, commercially distributed shellfish are safe to consume. All commercially sold shellfish are monitored for toxins by certified harvesters.
PSP toxins target the nervous system and cause symptoms minutes or hours after eating toxic shellfish. Symptoms include:
- Tingling at the mouth and fingertips.
- Loss of balance.
- Lack of muscular coordination.
- Slurred speech.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- In severe cases, muscular paralysis and death.
For the most current information on shellfish advisories and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800)-553-4133, viewing their bivalve shellfish advisory map, or visiting their marine biotoxin monitoring site.
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