Shellfish Quarantine to Begin Wednesday

The Orange County Health Care Agency is reminding mollusk lovers that a state quarantine on the shellfish begins Wednesday and continues through Oct. 31.

Sport harvesting of mussels for consumption is prohibited along the entire California coastline, said Robert Merryman, Orange County’s director of environmental health.

The purpose of the quarantine is to protect the public from deadly poisons that may be present in bivalve mollusks such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops, Merryman said.

The state recorded 521 cases of shellfish poisoning, including 32 deaths, from 1927 to 1995, the Health Care Agency said.

The greatest hazard is poisoning from mussels because they develop high levels of toxin more quickly than other mollusks and because they are eaten whole without the removal of digestive organs, Merryman said.

All dark parts should be removed from clams, oysters and scallops before eating.

Health officials said that toxic mussels cannot be distinguished from harmless ones and that cooking the mussels does not destroy the toxins.

The quarantine applies only to mussels collected by sports harvesters.

All commercial shellfish harvesters in California must be certified by the state.