Shellfish harvesting closed in local inlet due to high biotoxin levels. Here are the areas to avoid

A marine biotoxin has been detected at unsafe levels in shellfish in Eld Inlet, according to the Thurston County Public Health and Social Services department.

Eld Inlet is located west of Olympia. The biotoxin that was detected produces diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, or DSP. Recreational shellfish harvesting for all shellfish species is closed in Eld Inlet, and warning signs will be posted at public beaches at Frye Cove Park.

Biotoxins are produced by naturally occurring plankton which can become concentrated in shellfish, according to the release. Biotoxins do not harm shellfish but can cause illness or death in humans and other mammals that eat them.

Cooking does not destroy the toxin and does not make the shellfish safe to eat. DSP causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

You can learn more about shellfish safety on the county Public Health and Social Services website.

Harvesters can also check shellfish safety maps found online at www.doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish, or by calling 1-800-562-5632 for a recorded hotline of biotoxin closures.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription