PORT TOWNSEND — The state Department of Health has closed all beaches in Port Townsend Bay to the recreational harvesting of shellfish because of high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning found in samples taken earlier this week.
That means all of the beaches on the North Olympic Peninsula — aside from Dungeness Bay — are now closed to recreational shellfish harvesting because of the potentially deadly marine toxin, also known as red tide.
Commercial safe
Commercial shellfish purchased through legal channels is safe to eat because the areas are rigorously tested, health officials say.
On Tuesday, the state closed Discovery Bay, Port Ludlow, Mats Mats Bay, Kilisut Harbor, Mystery Bay and Admiralty Inlet after toxin levels of 154 micrograms were detected earlier this week in a mussel sample at Fort Flagler.
Announced Wednesday were closures of Fort Flagler, Old Fort Townsend, Chimacum Beach and beaches in Port Townsend and Port Hadlock.
High levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, prompted closures of beaches on the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Neah Bay to Discovery Bay — including a commercial tract near Jamestown — in mid-June.
The marine toxin can cause illness or death if ingested in either cooked or uncooked shellfish.
Shellfish affected are clams, oysters, scallops and mussels.
Crab meat is not known to contain the biotoxin, but the guts can contain unsafe levels. To be safe, clean crab thoroughly and discard the guts.
Blooms unpredictable
“These blooms are unpredictable,” said state marine biotoxin coordinator Frank Cox on Wednesday. “So when we get a high reading, we close a wide area to be safe.
“After the next test, we will narrow the area of closure if there are no other high readings,” he said.
Cox is testing samples from commercial facilities near the affected areas and expects results by the end of the week.
“It is easier for us to know the areas that are commercially harvested,” he said. “It’s harder for us to control where the average person might go.”
Cox said lower readings in a Skagit County location suggest that toxin levels elsewhere could also fall.
“There is no way to tell what will happen,” he said. “We need to take this one day at a time.”
Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning can appear within minutes or hours and usually begin with tingling lips and tongue, with the tingling moving to the hands and feet followed by difficulty breathing and potentially death.
Any one experiencing these symptoms should contact a health-care provider. For extreme reactions, dial 9-1-1.
Recreational shellfish harvesters should check the state Health Department website at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm or phone the Health Department’s biotoxin hot line at 800-562-5632 before harvesting shellfish anywhere in the state.
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Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.