Lack of standards clouds future of shellfish harvest

By Christopher Schwarzen
Times Snohomish County bureau

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There are no federal health standards for shellfish contaminated by oil, state health officials said yesterday, so testing guidelines aren't available. Historical data also is relatively rare because it's been about 15 years since an oil spill contaminated a commercial shellfishing zone in Washington, they said.

Health officials closed the shoreline from Miller Bay to Port Jefferson to shellfishing following Tuesday's barge spill at Point Wells, near Richmond Beach.

A method for determining food safety in oil-slicked shellfish, which health officials acknowledge is unscientific but possibly their only option, is called organoleptic testing — literally taking samples of shellfish such as geoducks and other clam species and sniffing them for oil fumes. No smell means the shellfish should be safe to eat.

But fisheries leaders say they are unsure whether passing the smell test will be enough to convince consumers that shellfish from the Miller Bay to Point Jefferson area are safe.

Suquamish tribal leaders also are trying to grapple with how many shellfish species will be devastated by the oil, or whether a long-term closure, such as those that have occurred in Coos Bay, Ore., and Prince William Sound, Alaska, will impact a $2 million commercial shellfishing program.

State health officials say they'll meet next week with their toxicologists and members of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's shellfish program for advice on how to handle testing at the Indianola site. While the state has complete authority over the shellfish industry in Washington, FDA regional shellfish specialist Michael Atee said yesterday they also are looking for better ways to assess the shellfish stock.

About 4,800 gallons of oil spilled Tuesday at Point Wells when a Foss Maritime barge overflowed. On Wednesday the oil slick reached a pristine estuary and sacred ground belonging to the Suquamish Tribe.

One seal pup has died from contact with oil and two birds have been recovered and are being treated. There's also concern that orcas may have come into contact with the oil slick as it traveled across the Sound to Indianola. Members of the orca K-pod have been seen twice in the area since Tuesday's spill, said Howard Garrett, board president of the Orca Network.

Cleanup at both sites is continuing, state Department of Ecology officials said yesterday.

"(How to test the shellfish) is a difficult question," said Bill Cleland, a public health adviser in the state Department of Health's food safety and shellfish program. "It's really a controversial issue nationwide because there are no federal guidelines for hydrocarbons (produced from oil products)."

Cleland said that determining long-term health effects from eating oil-contaminated shellfish also is difficult, so the Health Department is seriously considering the subjective smell test for lack of a better method.

That could shatter industry confidence in the area's shellfish, said Bill Dewey, a shellfish representative on the Puget Sound Action Team, a partnership of state agencies and tribal and governments that work to conserve and protect Puget Sound's environment.

"Whether it smells like oil or had contamination, there may well be greater damage to the tribe's industry from market perception," he said. "So I'd suggest there must be something more, something more comprehensive, done to detect contamination."

Tribal members say they'll deal with market perception if any shellfish survive the oil spill.

"We don't know about the geoducks yet, but already we've noticed some of the clam species in trouble," said Rob Purser, the Suquamish fisheries director.

Shellfish, such as geoducks and other clam species, filter water to find food. During an oil spill, shellfish close up and do not feed until the water is cleaner. But shellfish that remain closed too long can die from a lack of food, Cleland said.

Purser said early reports show soft-shell clams that don't close all the way, such as butter clams, already were dying. Littlenecks and cockles, which can close up completely, were shut tight.

"No clams were squirting anywhere, and that's uncommon for the beach," Purser said. "They've got to eat sooner or later. The question is, how long can they do that."

State health officials say they'll have a better idea of what steps to take following a regularly scheduled water-quality testing of the area Jan. 20. In the meantime, the shoreline remains closed to shellfishing.

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com

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