CDPH Warns Public Not to Consume Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from San Diego County​

What You Need to Know: The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is advising the public not to consume sport-harvested bivalve shellfish—including mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters—gathered from San Diego County.

Recent testing has detected dangerous levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin also known as amnesic shellfish poisoning, in mussels from our region. This toxin can cause serious illness or even death in humans, and cooking does not destroy it.

Domoic acid is linked to harmful algal blooms (HABs), which have also impacted marine wildlife along the Southern California coast. These blooms have caused large numbers of marine mammals and birds to become sick or die after consuming contaminated fish or invertebrates.

Here in Solana Beach, the Marine Safety Department has seen a noticeable increase in marine animal strandings. While spring is typically a busy season for strandings, this year’s spike is largely due to the ongoing HAB. The neurotoxin produced by the bloom is affecting the health of seals, sea lions, dolphins, and seabirds. Our Marine Safety team works closely with partners such as SeaWorld, National Marine Fisheries, and Project Wildlife to rescue and care for affected animals. We also have a process in place for removing deceased wildlife from our shoreline.

If you see an injured or stranded marine animal, please call the Marine Safety Department at 858-720-4444. All wildlife can be dangerous, but sick or disoriented animals present a higher risk—please keep your distance.

For humans, symptoms of amnesic shellfish poisoning may appear within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating contaminated shellfish. Milder symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, and dizziness, which usually resolve within a few days. Severe cases may involve difficulty breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent short-term memory loss, coma, or death.

This advisory does not apply to commercially sold shellfish from approved sources. State-certified commercial harvesters and dealers must follow strict testing protocols to ensure public safety.

To stay up to date on shellfish advisories and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133 or viewing the recreational bivalve shellfish advisory interactive map​. For additional information, please visit the CDPH Marine Biotoxin Monitoring web page​.