UPDATE: Enhanced warning on certain seafood from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties
The California Department of Public Health has updated its warning to consumers regarding certain seafood caught in Monterey , Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara counties due to dangerous levels of a naturally occurring toxin known as domoic acid.
CDPH had warned on their June 8 health advisory to not eat recreationally caught mussels and clams or the internal organs of scallops. Recent tests have found the white meat of scallops should not be consumed as well.
This latest advisory is also warning consumers not to eat commercially or recreationally harvested anchovy, crab and sardines from these counties as well.
Dangerous levels of domoic acid have been detected in some of these species and are also likely to be present in the other species. Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a ‘bloom’ of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict.
CDPH is continuing to collect a variety of molluscan bivalve shellfish, fin fish and crab samples from these areas to monitor the level of domoic acid in seafood.
This warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters from approved sources.
State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products. Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death.
There have no reported illnesses associated with this event.
