Don’t Eat the Crabs, Neurotoxin at Dangerous Levels
Press release from the Department of Fish and Wildlife:
health advisory warning individuals to avoid eating rock and Dungeness crab due to the detection of high levels of domoic acid. The advisory was followed by a recommendation from the Office of Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) to the California Fish and Game Commission and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to delay the start of the Dungeness crab season and close the rock crab fishery. These actions would apply to each fishery from the Oregon border to the southern Santa Barbara County line.Emergency Crab Closure Recommended, Commission to Meet ThursdayThe California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued aThe OEHHA recommendation has prompted an emergency meeting of the Commission, which will take place at 8 a.m. onThursday, Nov. 5 (agenda and meeting information). At that time, the Commission will consider voting to delay the opening of the recreational Dungeness crab fishery. The recreational Dungeness crab season is currently scheduled to startSaturday, Nov. 7.
Also based on the recommendation from OEHHA, CDFW will act on its authority to delay the start of the commercial Dungeness crab season. The commercial Dungeness crab season is currently scheduled to start Sunday, Nov. 15 in most of the state.
Similar action will be considered by the Commission and CDFW to close the recreational and commercial rock crab fisheries in the affected area. Both recreational and commercial rock crab seasons are open all year.“These are incredibly important fisheries to our coastal economies and fresh crab is highly anticipated and widely enjoyed this time of year. Of course, delaying or closing the season is disappointing,” said CDFW Marine Regional Manager Craig Shuman. “But public health and safety is our top priority.”
CDFW, along with the OEHHA and CDPH, has been actively testing crabs since early September. OEHHA announced today that consumption of Dungeness and rock crabs is likely to pose a significant human health risk as a result of high levels of domoic acid. CDFW will continue to coordinate with OEHHA and CDPH to test domoic acid levels in crab along the coast to determine when the fisheries can safely be opened.
Domoic acid is a potent neurotoxin that can accumulate in shellfish, other invertebrates and sometimes fish. It causes illness and sometimes death in a variety of birds and marine mammals that consume affected organisms. At low levels, domoic acid exposure can cause nausea, diarrhea and dizziness in humans. At higher levels, it can cause persistent short-term memory loss, seizures and can in some cases be fatal.
Domoic acid is produced from some species of the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia. Currently, a massive toxic bloom ofPseudo-nitzschia has developed, significantly impacting marine life along California’s coast. State scientists have been testing crab from eight fishing ports from Morro Bay to Crescent City, and have determined that the neurotoxin has spread throughout the fishery grounds.
Algal blooms are common, but this one is particularly large and persistent. Warmer ocean water temperatures associated with the El Niño event California is experiencing is likely a major contributing factor to the size and persistence of this bloom.
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http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/4704376-181/state-poised-to-close-dungeness
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I dream of domonic,I see a cigarette dipd in it.not for side effects but the soothing amnesia.another chance to loose everything,start again.like ketamin,disrupts learned behavior.stops stimuli and let’s one thimk.our learned behavior let’s us seek only rote behavior.so relaxing.like having a bowel movement.living ones life without thimking.stress disconnects synapses in brain.and you imagine me to be nonsensical .
Wow man! You sound intelligent.
Heavy green dirt that is phytoplankton.com
Thanks for covering this story. It’s a big deal for many of us here.
!
pseudo nitzshea
IKR?
I wonder . . . I have little to no trust in any government agency, nor the motivations of government in general. What have been the results of testing for Fukushima residue, and would they even report the truth if they knew it? That is one GIANT algal bloom if, in fact, it exists.
Find out for yourself what the truth is. Harvest and cook crab whole. Make sure to consume the “butter” as well as the meat. Report back what your findings are.
I forgot.