Recreational Shellfish Program, Washington State Department of Health

10/06/2026

Recreational razor clam digs on coastal beaches are postponed due to increasing and unsafe levels of domoic acid in shellfish. Domoic acid is a marine biotoxin that causes Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). Please see the WDFW news release at https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/razor-clam-digs-coastal-beaches-postponed-until-further-notice-due-spike-marine-toxins-1

Visit our website for more information about ASP: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish/illnesses/biotoxins/amnesic-shellfish-poisoning

OLYMPIA – The recreational razor clam season – originally scheduled to begin Oct. 9 through 14 on four coastal beaches – is postponed until further

09/04/2026

Good news! Biotoxin levels have been decreasing in Hood Canal, allowing some areas and species to reopen for recreational shellfish harvest. In Mason County, the biotoxin closure is lifted in lower Hood Canal from Twanoh State Park and Shoofly Creek east to the end of the canal. Note that Twanoh State Park is closed for day use, beach access and shellfish harvest due to construction at the park. In Jefferson County, beaches in Quilcene Bay and Dabob Bay are closed by biotoxins for butter clams and varnish clams only. These two types of clams retain paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins longer than other shellfish. Beaches in other areas of Hood Canal remain closed to recreational harvest of all molluscan shellfish.

Read the WDFW news release for more information at https://wdfw.wa.gov/newsroom/news-release/several-hood-canal-beaches-reopen-harvesting-clams-mussels-and-oysters. See current closure areas on the Shellfish Safety Map at doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety. Always check the map on the day you plan to harvest to make sure conditions are safe and the WDFW harvest seasons are open.

A seasonal Vibrio bacteria advisory is still in effect for recreational shellfish harvesting through September. Keep your shellfish cold and cook thoroughly to 145° F for at least 15 seconds to reduce the risk of illness from Vibrio in shellfish. Remember, cooking does NOT destroy marine biotoxins. Find instructions for shellfish handling, storing, and cooking at https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish/illness-prevention/handle-store-and-cook.

Thank you to our WDFW partners who dug clams for PSP testing in Hood Canal resulting in these upgrades!

08/26/2026

Check out this Seattle Times article about shellfish biotoxin testing at the DOH Environmental Biotoxins Laboratory and see some photos of the process!

When a beach closes to shellfish harvest, it may have been this lab that found something was wrong.

08/07/2026

This story highlights how a biotoxin testing method developed by NOAA scientists is helping DOH keep recreational shellfish harvesters and shellfish consumers safe during the most toxic bloom of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in Hood Canal in over a decade. The DOH Marine Biotoxin Program and Public Health Laboratories partnered with NOAA to transfer the technology from the research laboratory to shellfish biotoxin monitoring application in Washington State. Read the story to learn more about the process and the value of the receptor binding assay (RBA) for shellfish safety in WA.

A severely toxic harmful algal bloom involving paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in Washington’s Hood Canal has demonstrated the value of a shellfish toxin test. After more than a decade of research, validation, and technology transfer (moving this method from the research laboratory into...

07/31/2026

Seattle Times article about the impacts of biotoxin in the Hood Canal area.

07/02/2026

Paralytic Shellfish Poison is at lethal levels in Hood Canal. Please read our news release at https://doh.wa.gov/newsroom/hood-canal-paralytic-shellfish-poison-lethal-levels

Recreational shellfish harvesting remains closed in Hood Canal from Foulweather Bluff and Port Ludlow Bay south, including Port Gamble Bay, Quilcene Bay, Dabob Bay, and Mats Mats Bay. The closure has been expanded to include Port Townsend, Oak Bay, and Marrowstone Island.

See current biotoxin closure areas in WA at doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety.

For immediate release: July 2, 2026 (26-051) Contact: DOH Communications

07/01/2026

What’s causing the shellfish closures in Hood Canal and other areas of WA? Take a look at these pictures of a recent Hoodsport area water sample under a microscope. Thanks to Zach Hansen with South Sound Mariculture and Adam James with Hama Hama Oysters for sharing the pictures!

The chain-forming phytoplankton in the pictures is Alexandrium catenella, a species of microscopic algae that produces Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxins. PSP toxins have been detected at high levels in shellfish in and near Hood Canal. The phytoplankton Dinophysis was present in the water sample, too. Dinophysis produces another biotoxin that causes Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP).

Both phytoplankton occur naturally in our waters and are usually present in small amounts. But when they grow quickly or “bloom,” the increased algae are a greater food source for shellfish. Bivalve molluscan shellfish such as clams (including geoduck), mussels, oysters, and scallops can accumulate biotoxins when they feed on toxic algae. The biotoxins don’t harm shellfish but can cause serious illness in people who eat contaminated shellfish.

Biotoxins cannot be destroyed or removed by cooking, freezing, or cleaning shellfish.

Always check the Washington Shellfish Safety Map for current biotoxin closures each time before harvesting: doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety

Learn more about marine biotoxins: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish/illnesses/biotoxins

06/25/2026

Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) isn’t destroyed by cooking or freezing and can’t be removed by cleaning shellfish. There are no visual clues to tell you when shellfish are toxic. You can’t tell by the color of the water or by how shellfish look, smell, or taste. PSP can only be identified through laboratory testing.

To protect yourself from PSP, stay informed. Always check the Shellfish Safety Map at doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety for current harvest closures before heading to the beach. Or call the recorded Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632. Check on the day of harvest to get updated information and pay attention to warning signs posted at the beach.

Don’t harvest or eat shellfish that are closed by biotoxins. It’s dangerous and could be deadly.

For more shellfish safety information, visit https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish.

Learn more about PSP and other naturally occurring marine biotoxins at https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish/illnesses/biotoxins.

06/24/2026

Hood Canal and southern Admiralty Inlet remain closed to recreational shellfish harvesting due to high levels of the biotoxin Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) in shellfish. Watch this interview with our Marine Biotoxin Lead, Jerry Borchert, to learn more about biotoxins and this closure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_lfz9Zck7A

See current biotoxin closure areas on the Washington Shellfish Safety Map at doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety. Always check the map for updates on the day you plan to harvest. Conditions can change quickly!

Visit our Marine Biotoxins webpage for more information: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/shellfish/recreational-shellfish/illnesses/biotoxins

06/12/2026

BIOTOXIN ALERT! Recreational shellfish harvesting in and near Hood Canal is closed. Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) has been detected at dangerously high, potentially lethal, levels in shellfish samples collected around Union, in Hood Canal. It is unsafe to consume recreationally harvested shellfish from the Hood Canal area. Signs are being posted on public beaches warning people not to harvest shellfish from this area. The closure includes clams, oysters, mussels, scallops and other species of mollusks. Crab and shrimp are not included in the closure.

PSP toxin is not destroyed by cooking or freezing and cannot be removed by cleaning shellfish.

PSP symptoms can appear within minutes or hours and usually begin with tingling lips and tongue, moving to the hands and feet, followed by difficulty breathing and potentially death. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care provider or call 911.

Check the WA Shellfish Safety Map at doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety or recorded Biotoxin Hotline at 1-800-562-5632 for current conditions.