The annual quarantine of mussels collected by recreational harvesters takes effect Friday on the Central and South Coasts.
The goal is to prevent people from eating shellfish with dangerous amounts of naturally occurring toxins, which start to appear this time of year. It applies to all species of mussels taken from areas like bays, harbors, and beaches.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning can cause a lack of balance, lack of muscle coordination, breathing issues, comas, and in some cases death. There is no antidote, and cooking mussels won’t necessarily destroy the toxins.
Commercially harvested shellfish are not included in the quarantine.
