OLYMPIA — Sport crabbing has reopened in Willapa Bay after test results show the crab are safe to eat.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced the opening Friday after a month-long closure prompted by elevated levels of domoic acid, a natural toxin produced by certain types of marine algae.
Dominic acid can be harmful or even fatal if consumed in sufficient quantities. Neither cooking nor freezing will destroy domoic acid in shellfish.
Levels of domoic acid in Willapa Bay crabs have decline during the past month, said Dan Ayres, coastal shellfish manager for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Tests by the state Deprtment of Health show the toxin levels in Willapa Bay crab are well below health-safety standards.
Commercial crabbing in Willapa Bay remains closed. Shellfish managers from Washington, Oregon and California will meet next week to determine when to open commercial Dungeness crab fisheries, including those on Washington’s southern coast.
Those fisheries were delayed from the scheduled Dec. 1 opening to allow more time for marine toxin testing.
Regular testing of shellfish species found in Willapa Bay — including oysters, hard-shell clams and mussels — shows those shellfish remain safe to eat.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife continues to test for domoic acid in razor clams along Washington’s coastal beaches, where digging has been closed this fall.
Domoic acid tends to remain in the fat cells of razor clams longer than other shellfish species. The department will make an announcement once toxin levels drop to safe levels and digging can begin.
