The California Department of Public health advised consumers not to eat Dungeness and Rock crabs caught in waters between the Oregon border and the southern Santa Barbara county line because of dangerous levels of domoic acid. This naturally occurring toxin can cause food poisoning.
Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Domoic acid has been responsible for several deaths and both permanent and transitory illness in over a hundred people. The toxin is produced by marine diatoms which are members of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia. Both shellfish and fish can accumulate this toxin without apparent ill effects; however, in humans the toxin crosses into the brain and interferes with nerve signal transmission. People poisoned with very high doses of the toxin can die, while lower doses can cause permanent brain damage (short term memory loss). When this toxin was discovered in certain West coast fish and shellfish, both recreational and commercial fisheries were briefly closed. This closure, though relatively short, had serious economic impacts on those communities dependent on these fisheries.
FoodWorld 