Copyright 1999 The Seattle Times CompanyThe Seattle Times
July 23, 1999, Friday Final Edition
SECTION: LOCAL NEWS; Pg. B2; PUGET SOUND NEWSWATCH
HEADLINE: RED-TIDE WARNING FOR SHELLFISH BYLINE: SEATTLE TIMES STAFF: SEATTLE TIMES NEWS SERVICES
State health officials are warning the public about harvesting shellfish in large areas of Puget Sound because paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) has increased substantially in the past few days.
PSP, also known as red tide, affects clams, oysters, scallops, mussels and geoducks and can cause symptoms ranging from dizziness to death. It cannot be cooked out of the shellfish, health officials say. It does not affect crab or shrimp but can affect moon snails, another Puget Sound shellfish.
In King County, beaches from Seattle's Lincoln Park south to the Pierce County line have been officially closed to harvesting. But the best advice is not to harvest on any King County beaches because the toxin content is escalating in the remainder of the county, said Ned Therien, a public-health adviser for the state Department of Health.
To check the safety of beaches, people are encouraged to call the Health Department's biotoxin hotline at 1-800-562-5632, or to check the department's Web site at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm.
Most Puget Sound beaches from Canada to Pierce County are closed, as well as Willapa Bay near Raymond in Pacific County. Ocean beaches and the Strait of Juan de Fuca also are off-limits because of seasonal closures from April through October.
Levels of PSP remain safe in Hood Canal, Grays Harbor, and some parts of southern Puget Sound as well as in Mason, Snohomish and Thurston counties. Red-tide conditions may dissipate in a few weeks, but could also last for months, health officials said.