Weekend shellfishers beware: Eating what you've harvested in central Puget Sound could be fatal.
Record-high levels of paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) have been measured throughout King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties, indicating a spreading bloom related to the toxin.
Plankton blooms containing the PSP toxin are common during summer months because of warmer temperatures and higher nutrient levels, but they are not typically this large, state health officials say.
Health officials have been monitoring the bloom in central Puget Sound for weeks, but it wasn't until this week that a spike in the amount of toxin forced the state to shut down beaches to shellfish harvesting from Edmonds to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, said Frank Cox, a marine biotoxin coordinator for the state Department of Health. The shellfish ingest the toxin-laden algae into their systems.
Friday's warnings are isolated to recreational harvesters and do not affect commercial harvesters or shellfish purchased in stores and restaurants, which are tested and "should be safe to eat," the Health Department said.
Closures are required when PSP levels reach 80 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish tissue. Recently, toxin levels in samples taken at Edmonds Marina were closer to 3,600 micrograms, while poison levels at Brownsville Beach in Kitsap County measured about 3,400 micrograms.
"These are the highest levels — lethal levels — ever recorded at these places," Cox said. "And this is a very large area being closed because of one toxin bloom."
The only time deaths occurred in Washington state from poisonous shellfish was in 1942, Cox said, when three people died from eating Strait of Juan de Fuca shellfish with 3,500 micrograms of PSP.
What you should know
Beach closures: Beaches from Picnic Point in Snohomish County through all of King County and south to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Pierce County have been closed to shellfish harvesting. In Kitsap County, the entire eastern side of the county from Foulweather Bluff south to the Pierce County line has been closed to harvesting.
Affected shellfish: The warning applies to clams, oysters, mussels, scallops, geoduck and other species of molluscan shellfish. Crab is not included, but the "crab butter" should be discarded and only the meat should be eaten.
While PSP blooms generally die out in a matter of weeks, beaches can be closed for longer periods because shellfish need more time to purge the toxin. Beach closures may expand during the next few weeks if the algal bloom moves to other areas.
"There were no levels of PSP in samples taken near Everett, so it has not spread north," Cox said. "But it could continue moving south, so people need to be aware."
Signs have been posted at beaches with heavy usage, but recreational harvesters are responsible for knowing whether a beach is closed to harvesting, state Fish and Wildlife staff say. Recreational shellfishers must purchase a state license to harvest.
Often, the trouble is trying to convince local harvesters that the threat is real.
"People tend to say, 'I've harvested here before and never gotten sick,' " said Alex Bradbury, a Fish and Wildlife shellfish biologist. "But beaches are closed to harvesting for various reasons: pollution, other bacteria, even quotas. It is an individual harvester's responsibility to check out closures, presuming they don't want to get sick."
People often mistake PSP warnings with postings for shellfish contaminated with Vibrio bacteria, which also can cause illness if ingested. But Vibrio bacteria can be cooked out of shellfish and usually only cause cramping and diarrhea. PSP cannot be removed by cooking and can lead to death.
Early symptoms caused by PSP include tingling of the lips and tongue, which can begin within minutes of eating poisoned shellfish.
Depending upon the amount of toxin ingested, symptoms may progress to tingling fingers and toes and then to loss of arm and leg control, followed by trouble breathing.
If a person consumes enough poison, chest muscles become paralyzed, and death can result in as little as two hours. There is no medication available.
For the Suquamish Tribe, which relies on year-round harvesting, the toxic bloom has meant a halt to the season.
"We got the word that Dyes Inlet was being closed to all shellfish, including our geoduck industry," said Debbie Kay, a shellfish coordinator for the Kitsap County tribe. "I don't think there's anywhere we can harvest."
Commercial tribal harvesters who catch salmon won't be affected, but tribal members who rely solely on harvesting for money and food will be most hurt, Kay said, adding it's the first time the inlet has been closed since opening to harvesting three years ago.
While PSP is always a threat, the Puget Sound area has become a hotbed for toxin blooms since 1996, Cox said. Closures have resulted from toxin levels in the thousands every year since then.
The highest levels of PSP recorded in Washington were collected near Whidbey Island in September 1978. They measured more than 30,000 micrograms, setting a world record at the time.
"What's really odd is that we thought we'd have a continual problem there," Cox said. "But we haven't had a bloom there since."
Staff reporter Jennifer Sullivan contributed to this report.
Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com
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