State Issues Spiny Lobster Warning

fresh lobster
Flickr user Nemo's great uncle
Don't do it, man!

Bad news, tomalley lovers. Less than a month after the opening of the spiny lobster season, the California Department of Fish and Game issued a warning to eat only the tails of local spiny lobsters and rock crabs. A form of algae bloom causes a toxin called domoic acid in small fish, mussels and clams that the lobsters feed on, and those toxins can build up in the viscera of the lobsters. The tails of the lobsters are not affected.
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According to Department of Fish and Game site:

Elevated levels of domoic acid toxin have been found in the
viscera (internal organs) of lobster sampled from waters adjacent to
the northern Channel Islands. Elevated levels of the toxin have also
been detected in recent samples of rock crab, and so this warning also
extends to this species. The meat of the lobster and crab is not affected
by the toxin, but all internal organs, including the roe, should be
discarded.

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24
hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include
nausea or diarrhea, cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms
typically disappear within several days, but in severe cases, the victim
may experience life-threatening symptoms, or even death.

Spiny lobster fans can learn when this warning is lifted at this site. There's also information at this site for how human consumption of mussels are affected by this warning.

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