SALEM, Oregon. Oregon authorities have closed the state’s entire coast to mussel harvesting due to an “unprecedented” outbreak of shellfish poisoning that has sickened at least 20 people.
They also closed parts of the Oregon coast to the harvest of razor clams, clams and oysters.
“We had a paralytic shellfish poisoning event in Oregon that we’ve never seen in the state,” said Matthew Hunter, shellfish program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, during a news conference Friday. The unprecedented nature of the outbreak was due to both the number of species affected and the number of people who fell ill, he said.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Agriculture announced the new closures Thursday. Elevated levels of toxins were first detected in shellfish on the state’s central and north coasts on May 17, Hunter said.
State health officials are asking people who have harvested or eaten Oregon shellfish since May 13 to fill out a survey aimed at helping investigators identify the cause of the outbreak and the number of people sickened.
Paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP, is caused by saxitoxin, a natural toxin produced by algae, according to the Oregon Health Authority. People who eat shellfish contaminated with high levels of saxitoxins usually begin to feel sick within 30 to 60 minutes, the agency said. Symptoms include numbness in the mouth and lips, vomiting, diarrhea, and shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat in severe cases.
There is no antidote for PSP, according to the agency. Treatment for severe cases may require mechanical ventilators to aid breathing.
Authorities warn that cooking or freezing contaminated shellfish does not kill the toxins and does not make it safe to eat.
Authorities in neighboring Washington have also closed the state’s Pacific coast to shellfish harvesting, including mussels, clams, scallops and oysters, a shellfish safety map produced by the Washington State Department of Health showed.
Under Oregon’s new restrictions, razor clam harvesting is closed along about 185 miles (298 kilometers) of coastline, from the central coastal town of Yachats to the California state line. Bay clam harvesting is closed along the north coast from the Washington state line to Cascade Head, about 105 miles (169 kilometers).
Agricultural officials also ended commercial oyster harvesting in Netarts and Tillamook Bays on Oregon’s northern coast.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture says it will continue to test shellfish for toxins at least twice a month, as tides and weather permit. Reopening an area closed to biotoxins requires two consecutive tests that show toxin levels are below a certain threshold, according to the agency.
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