Paralytic shellfish poison levels force recreational harvest ban
Most of Vashon Island is now closed to recreational shellfish harvesting because of unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poison, which acts quickly and can cause paralysis of the respiratory system and death.
The Seattle-King County Public Health Department posted an alert Friday evening citing information from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). The marine organisms that produce the toxin are naturally occurring and are sometimes erroneously referred to as a “red tide.” The algae blooms associated with the toxin can be various colors or have no color at all.
Neither cooking nor freezing destroys the poison. It is not possible with visual inspection to determine if an area of water, or the shellfish in it, is contaminated, according to public health officials. The toxin can only be detected with laboratory analysis.
“Paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) has been detected at unsafe levels in shellfish on Vashon Island at Point Vashon and Tramp Harbor,” according to the alert.
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