VANCOUVER - Due to a risk of high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) or "red tide," Fisheries and Oceans Canada would like to remind the public not to harvest bivalve shellfish in the Lower Mainland area.

Recently, Washington State officials issued an advisory warning to American residents that PSP concentrations in Semiahmoo Bay and Boundary Bay areas are currently on the rise in some areas and harvesting has been prohibited.

Howe Sound, south to the U.S. border, including the waters of Boundary Bay, Mud Bay and Semiahmoo Bay, are permanently closed to bivalve shellfish harvesting due to sewage contamination. It is illegal to harvest shellfish from contaminated areas and eating contaminated shellfish can cause serious illness. With the addition of a risk of high PSP levels, the public is strongly urged to comply with fishing regulations and not harvest any bivalve shellfish from these areas. Cooking does not destroy the PSP toxin. Shellfish that has been legally commercially harvested and has been through the necessary health and safety inspections is safe to eat. Proper documentation must accompany commerically harvested shellfish.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is reminding the public that B.C. coastal waters are closed to shellfish harvesting when toxin levels are too high for safe public consumption. Shellfish harvesting closures are also implemented due to sewage contamination or dioxin levels in some areas. Recreational fishing regulations for harvesting shellfish are in place not only to protect the health of the public but also to protect and preserve the resource for today and for the future. Information on permanent bivalve harvesting closures and dioxin/sewage contamination closures are listed in the Sport Fishing Guide. For a copy of the Guide, please call (604) 666-0384 or check the website at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Shellfish closures may change frequently, therefore harvesters also are encouraged to check with local DFO offices or call (604) 666-2828 for a listing of recent closures prior to fishing.

Bivalve shellfish are shellfish with two shells (i.e.: oysters, mussels, clams, and rock-, swimming-, and weathervane-scallops). Recreational shellfish harvesters are advised to avoid butter clams in most areas, because this species can retain PSP toxins for long durations, sometimes up to a year. It is also recommended that only the adductor muscle of scallops (the round meat) should be consumed, and the roe and viscera (the digestive organs) should be discarded.

PSP is caused by a naturally-occuring algae (plankton) in coastal waters. When water temperatures rise, the amount of the algae increases in the water. As bivalve molluscs feed on this algae by filtering large volumes of water, they accumulate and concentrate the toxins. Coastal areas are regularly monitored for PSP toxin levels and closures for harvesting of bivalve molluscs are implemented when levels exceed those that are safe for human consumption. PSP toxins generally only occur in bivalve molluscs. Crab and shrimp are not affected by these kinds of toxins.

Media contacts:

Randy Webb
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Region
(250) 954-2675

Gordon Greig
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(604) 666-4427 ext. 260