CDPH Lifts Warnings for Sport-Harvested Bivalve Shellfish from Santa Cruz, Santa

July 10, 2025

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has lifted the shellfish safety notifications today related to sport-harvested clams, scallops, and oysters from Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties, except the Northern Channel Islands.

The annual mussel quarantine remains in effect. The annual quarantine prohibits the sport harvest of mussels for human consumption and applies to all species of mussels harvested along the California coast, as well as all bays and estuaries, and will continue through at least October 31.

The safety notifications were issued for Southern California counties on March 20, 2025, March 28, 2025, and April 14, 2025 due to dangerous levels of domoic acid, also referred to as amnesic shellfish poisoning, and dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. The safety notification for Santa Cruz County was issued on June 6, 2025, due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. These naturally occurring toxins can cause illness or death in humans. Recent testing shows domoic acid and paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins have decreased to safe or undetectable levels for bivalve shellfish in these areas, except the Northern Channel Islands.

A shellfish safety notification for sport-harvested mussels, clams, scallops, and oysters remains in place for the Northern Channel Islands due to domoic acid, which can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans. Additional samples are needed from this area to lift the advisory.

These advisories do not apply to commercially sold mussels, clams, scallops, or oysters from approved sources. State law permits only state-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers to sell these products. Shellfish sold by certified harvesters and dealers are subject to frequent mandatory testing to monitor for toxins.

Symptoms of amnesic shellfish poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma, or death.

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