Crab ban partially lifted along California coast

The state’s health advisory not to eat Dungeness and rock crabs caught along the coast between the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Line and Latitude 35° 40′ N (near Piedras Blancas Light Station, in San Luis Obispo County) has been lifted.

The warning remains in effect for state waters around Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands — and areas north of Latitude 35° 40′ N — due to continued high levels of domoic acid in crabs caught there. Consumers should not eat Dungeness or rock crabs from those areas.

Today’s partial OK comes after recent tests show that levels of domoic acid have declined to low or undetectable levels in crabs caught in these areas, according to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Karen Smith.

Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. While the bloom that occurred earlier this year has dissipated, it takes a period of time for the organisms feeding on the phytoplankton to eliminate the domoic acid from their bodies.

The advisory will be lifted in affected areas once ongoing monitoring determines crabs from those areas are safe to consume, the CDPH said.

However, as a precaution, consumers are advised not eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs. The viscera usually contain much higher levels of domoic acid than crab body meat. When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips.

The best ways to reduce risk are:

1)    Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, or

2)    Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or broiling, and discard cooking liquids.

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death.

There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.

To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page and CDPH’s Domoic Acid health information Web page.