Lethal levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin have been found in Discovery Bay, Port Ludlow Marina and South Indian Island County Park.
“Right now the levels are so high that we’re really worried about it killing people,” said Neil Harrington, county Environmental Health/Natural Resources environmental specialist.
Discovery Bay, previously closed only to butter clam harvesting, joined the list of North Olympic Peninsula beaches closed to harvesting all species of shellfish on Thursday.
“We have some sort of closure on every single beach in our county right now,” Harrington said.
Those closures also extend throughout Clallam County. Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin has closed beaches all along the North Olympic Peninsula to recreational harvesting of all species of shellfish.
The closures do not apply to commercially sold shellfish, which are separately sampled by private operators, said Harrington.
The Discovery Bay closure-area boundaries are from north of Cape George, south to include all of Discovery Bay and northwest to about a mile west of Diamond Point in Clallam County.
Harrington agreed with state Department of Health officials who are saying the paralytic shellfish poisoning algae bloom is the worst in 10 years.
Harrington said recent water tests support that conclusion.
Samples from blue mussels in Port Ludlow Marina show the highest concentration of the toxin in Puget Sound.
Shellfish samples taken at South Indian Island County Park showed levels 60 times the closure amount.
Discovery Bay levels were twice the closure amount.
Warning signs have been posted at high use beaches.
The Strait of Juan de Fuca from Cape Flattery to Admiralty Inlet is closed to all species, as are ocean beaches from Cape Flattery into Grays Harbor County.
Beaches on the west side of Admiralty Inlet and the east coast of the Kitsap Peninsula are closed to all species.
Hood Canal is closed to harvesting oysters.
The oyster closures are due to vibriosis, a condition that can produce diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills in people who eat raw or undercooked shellfish.
The closure to harvesting of all species means clams (including geoduck), oyster, mussels and other invertebrates such as moon snails.
All areas are closed for the sport harvest of scallops.
Shrimp is not included in the closures. Nor is crab, although toxins can collect in crab guts, also called butter.
