The California Department of Public Health warned the public on Tuesday, advising not to eat Dungeness crabs. The announcement came days before the start of the Dungeness crab season, which was to begin on Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The DPH said Dungeness crabs and rock crabs caught along the California coast were found to have high levels of domoic acid, which is produced by a single-celled alga called Pseudo-nitzschia. The plant grew in large numbers this year, creating a massive "bloom" that led to the increased levels of domoic acid along the coast.
This year's Pseudo-nitzschia bloom is said to be the biggest ever seen and lasted far longer than the usual blooms. Some experts attribute the bloom to California's unusually warm waters, according to Daily Mail.
"Recent test results have shown persistently high levels of domoic acid in Dungeness crab and rock crab, which have been caught along the California coastline," the department said in the advisory. "The levels have exceeded the state's action level for the crabs' body meat as well as the viscera, commonly referred to as crab butter, and therefore pose a significant risk to the public if they are consumed."
Domoic acid poisoning symptoms, which can appear 30 minutes to 24 hours after consumption of infected food, include diarrhea, headache, vomiting, abdominal cramps and dizziness. The more severe symptoms include seizures, confusion, difficulty breathing, disorientation and permanent loss of short-term memory. Some cases can result in coma or death, according to the California Department of Public Health.
So far, no illnesses associated with Dungeness crab consumption have been reported.
The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has recommended that Dungeness crab season be delayed. On Thursday, the Fish and Game Commission will hold a meeting to discuss the issue, according to The Sacramento Bee.
"Delaying or closing the season is disappointing," Craig Shuman, marine regional manager of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, told the San Francisco Chronicle. "But public health and safety is our top priority."
The toxic Dungeness crabs will have a devastating effect on commercial crabbers, who have already started arriving in the Bay Area from Washington, Oregon and Alaska. Crabbers depend on the commercial crab season for a large chunk of their annual income, and delaying or closing the season will have a large impact on their livelihood.
"Those who aren't boat owners will say it's a disaster," Mike Dvorak, captain of the vessel High Seas, said. "They won't know what to tell their families."
