āCDPH Warns Consumers Not to Eat āSport-Harvested Dungeness Crab from One Area āāAlong Northern California Coast Areaā
āNovember 1, 2024
SN24-016
What You Need to Know: With crab season about to begin, CDPH is advising the public to not consume any sport-harvested whole Dungenāāess crab caught along a specific area of the northern California coast.
Sacramento ā The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning the public to not consume any whole Dungeness crab caught from one coastal area of northern California.
āThis warning is ināāāā effect for state waters located at:
- CA/OR border (42Ā° N) to Reading Rock State Marine Reserve (41Ā° 17.6' N. Latitude)
The recreational Dungeness crab season for California anglers begins on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
Dangerous levels of domoic acid, also referred to as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, have been detected in the meat and viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught from northern California. Domoic Acid is a naturally occurring biotoxin. Cooking the crab does not decrease or destroy the toxin.
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, coma, or death.
CDPH continues to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the fishing community to collect and test crab samples from the impacted areas until domoic acid levels have dissipated. Please contact CDFW for information about the recreational Dungeness crab season.
Test results are updated as laboratory results become available and can be viewed on the CDPH Domoic Acid webpage. Please visit CDPH's Domoic Acid FAQ for more information. To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH's toll-free āShellfish Information Line" at (800) 553-4133.