The Washington State Department of Health issued a countywide closure for recreational harvest of molluscan shellfish on Friday, citing unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning biotoxin.
The biotoxin was detected in molluscan shellfish in multiple Whatcom County locations, according to a statement from Whatcom County Health and Community Services (WCHCS) published on Friday.
The harvest closure is for all Whatcom County beaches, including Point Roberts. Lummi Nation has also closed shellfish harvesting in Bellingham Bay, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo, according to its website.
Molluscan shellfish include clams, mussels, oysters and scallops, and the state health department said mussels usually contain the highest concentration of the paralytic toxin detected over the past week.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning and other naturally occurring biotoxins cannot be destroyed by freezing or cooking, according to the county. The algae that contains the biotoxin cannot be seen and can only be detected through laboratory testing.
The closure does not affect shellfish sold in restaurants and markets, such as Drayton Harbor Oyster Co., which are tested before distribution and are safe to eat.
WCHCS communications specialist Marie Junek said biotoxin conditions can change rapidly and are not uniform across all beaches in the county. She advised recreational shellfish harvesters to check the state shellfish closure website for regular updates.
The shellfish closure map can be found at bit.ly/4tqeJWn. The DOH Biotoxin Hotline can also provide up to date information on shellfish closures, at 800-562-5632.
Junek said the county has not received any reports of biotoxin poisoning and is responding to the state department of health’s closure.
Junek could not provide an estimate on when shellfish harvesting would reopen.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning biotoxin can cause severe illness and death.
Initial symptoms include numbness and tingling of lips and tongue, which can begin anywhere from minutes to hours after eating toxic shellfish. Death from paralytic shellfish poisoning can occur in less than 30 minutes, according to the WCHCS.
