Most Whatcom County beaches closed to shellfish harvest

The Washington state department of health has closed the recreational harvest of all species of molluscan shellfish on most Whatcom County beaches, after unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) biotoxin were detected in shellfish on county beaches.

Lummi Island, Hale Passage, Lummi Bay and all beaches from Sandy Point north to the Canadian border are closed. Point Roberts beaches are closed as a precaution until shellfish samples can be obtained to determine biotoxin levels.

According to a notice from the Whatcom County Health Department, Portage Bay, Samish Bay and Bellingham Bay south to the Skagit County border remain open. The department will be collecting additional samples each week to monitor biotoxin levels, and will notify the public when biotoxin levels have dropped below the closure limit.

Molluscan shellfish include clams, mussels, oysters and scallops. Mussels usually contain the highest toxin concentration. PSP and other naturally occurring biotoxins are not destroyed by cooking or freezing. Crab meat is not affected, but “crab butter” and crab entrails can harbor biotoxins so they should be discarded.

According to the release, shellfish sold in restaurants and markets have been tested before distribution and are safe to eat.

Mark Seymour, co-owner of Drayton Harbor Oyster Company, confirmed that shellfish sold at his restaurant is safe to eat. “If we’re selling oysters, customers can rest assured that we’re looking out for them and have had everything checked,” he said.

He said the process starts near the Semiahmoo marina with officials testing mussels, which are considered a “signal species” for PSP. “[Mussels] pick it up the first and the highest,” said Seymour. When officials detect high levels of PSP in their weekly mussel survey, they then reach out to commercial outlets in the area, who are required to send shellfish samples to a state laboratory in Shoreline.

The lab testing process occurs within the space of a few hours, and confirms that the harvested shellfish is safe for people to consume.

Seymour said that oysters, which his restaurant harvests locally, tend to have much lower PSP levels than other shellfish. “Oysters don’t really pick the toxins up the same way,” he said. “We like to say that oysters are smarter.”

He said there has only been one time in five years when the restaurant’s oysters have been shut down for a week due to high PSP counts. If that happens, it’s easy to reach out to another harvester to source products from them instead.

Seymour is supportive of state and county officials as they take precautions to protect the public from PSP. “They are absolutely right to do a big umbrella closure,” he said. “It’s to be safe, because PSP is nothing to mess around with.”

According to the state department of health, PSP is a naturally occurring marine biotoxin that is produced by some species of microscopic algae. Shellfish eat these algae and can retain the toxin. People can become ill from eating shellfish contaminated with PSP. This biotoxin affects the nervous system and paralyzes muscles, thus the term paralytic shellfish poison. High levels of PSP can cause severe illness and death.

“Early symptoms include tingling of the lips and tongue, which may begin within minutes of eating toxic shellfish or may take an hour or two to develop,” said the state department of health’s website.

“Symptoms may progress to tingling of fingers and toes and then loss of control of arms and legs, followed by difficulty in breathing. Some people feel nauseous or experience a sense of floating. If a person consumes enough toxin, muscles of the chest and abdomen become paralyzed, including muscles used for breathing, and the victim can suffocate. Death from Paralytic Shellfish Poison has occurred in less than 30 minutes.”

Those with mild symptoms are urged to contact their health care provider and their local public health agency. If symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.