Beaches in Pierce County are closed to shellfish harvesting due to dangerous levels of biotoxins, according to a Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department news release Friday.
The closure ordered by the Washington State Department of Health applies to the “shoreline from Days Island and Point Fosdick north to the King and Kitsap County lines, including Commencement Bay, Colvos Passage and the Narrows,” the release said. You can still safely consume shellfish from stores and restaurants.
The culprit biotoxin is called paralytic shellfish poison (PSP), which impacts the nervous system and paralyzes muscles. High levels of PSP can lead to severe illness and death, sometimes within half an hour, according to the release. Shellfish eat algae that produce the naturally occurring toxin and can retain it, according to the Department of Health website…