Bad Crab? Mystery solved on p3

This has happened twice now which is making me wonder if I'm running into some domoic acid. After eating crab I've had mild stomach pain that night. No vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms. It hasn't happened every time I've eaten crab, but as we saw from the tests there is a lot of individual variation between crabs. Here are the details:

- Catch crabs at Linda Mar (40-50 FOW, inside the point)
- De-back and split them while still alive, removing all viscera
- Boil for 10 minutes in salted water then chill for a minute or two in cold water, discarding all the water

It could be something totally unrelated that is making my stomach hurt, but unfortunately I can also imagine that there is local variation in DA acid levels that the limited testing they did did not pick up.

Anyone else experience something like this? I've been sharing my catch with friends, and now I'm worried I've been giving them bad seafood.

Still waiting for season to open in my area. 

Hope the crabs are not bad for your sake. I have similar issues with abalone.  I just have to eat small portions.

How are your friends doing?

Any feed back from HMB crab fishermen would be appreciated.

I shouldn't have to say this, but if you experience bad symptoms, don't continue the suspected activities. Stop smackin your hand with a hammer, dont wait for the xrays.....if symptoms do not clear in a day or so go to your dr.

How many crabs did you eat?  FYI, in that area there has only been one crab that exceeded the threshold since December.  The threshold is pretty low too.  If you wanted to do the math/research, you could probably estimate the amount of crab you ate, multiply by the highest recent test level, and determine if you are in the ballpark of the human toxicity level.

If I was making conservative threshold levels, I would want them triggered if an at-risk person ate at 3+ tainted crabs in a sitting.  If you're not an at-risk person, and you didn't eat a shitton of crab, I imagine it's very unlikely given the low levels we have seen for a long time in that area.

PS, I went through the same freakout a couple weeks ago on "opening" weekend, but without actual symptoms.  Out of 10+ people who ate a total of 30 crabs, no similar complaints that I know of.

10 minute boil time seems a little light to me.  I aways clean before I cook but I think mine usually steam for 15-20 minutes.  I don't know if that would have any impact on the Demoic Acid though.

10 minute boil time seems a little light to me.  I aways clean before I cook but I think mine usually steam for 15-20 minutes.  I don't know if that would have any impact on the Demoic Acid though.

10 min is definitely light. Specially with the current health warning. I do mine between 20-30 min. Do nt be afraid to over cook. Just have a cold water in a bucket and its good. Also, I dont normally put salt. I boil water with whole onion and cut in half large lemon. The meat is sweeter, onion enhance the flavor.

I'm only eating about half a crab at a sitting (Should I even admit this? Will I get kicked out of NCKA?). I will try cooking longer. No comments from friends or wife yet, and I don't want to freak them out by asking.

I'm only eating about half a crab at a sitting (Should I even admit this? Will I get kicked out of NCKA?).

Yes. You are hereby excommunicated from NCKA.

Hi,
I caught and ate two 6 1/2" to 7 1/2" crabs from HMB last week when I got in, and ate 1 each of the next three days.  I boiled them whole in salt water for 20 minutes from when the water came back to a boil after adding them to a boiling pot.  The only thing I did differently due to DA fear was to clean them all under running water after cooking them on the day I caught them. Usually I only clean them right before eating.
No reaction except joy.  Boy were they good!

Got to see first hand what Dominic acid poisoning is like. We had a sick seal crawl up on the beach last night, looked disoriented. After sending pictures to the local NOAA office (protected so DFW won't touch it), I was told it was dying of Dominic acid poisoning. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to move it, so all the guests get to watch Nature take its course ....
Thank goodness for the local vultures

This has happened twice now which is making me wonder if I'm running into some domoic acid. After eating crab I've had mild stomach pain that night. No vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms. It hasn't happened every time I've eaten crab, but as we saw from the tests there is a lot of individual variation between crabs. Here are the details:

- Catch crabs at Linda Mar (40-50 FOW, inside the point)
- De-back and split them while still alive, removing all viscera
- Boil for 10 minutes in salted water then chill for a minute or two in cold water, discarding all the water

It could be something totally unrelated that is making my stomach hurt, but unfortunately I can also imagine that there is local variation in DA acid levels that the limited testing they did did not pick up.

Anyone else experience something like this? I've been sharing my catch with friends, and now I'm worried I've been giving them bad seafood.

Probably something else. I prepared 10 crab exactly like that and my wife and I ate them all in two days.  After cleaning if the water is boiling good 10 mins is plenty. 

Got to see first hand what Dominic acid poisoning is like. We had a sick seal crawl up on the beach last night, looked disoriented. After sending pictures to the local NOAA office (protected so DFW won't touch it), I was told it was dying of Dominic acid poisoning. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to move it, so all the guests get to watch Nature take its course ....
Thank goodness for the local vultures

How can they tell what's killing it from a picture?

I Saw a dead seal floating while I was crabbing last week off Muir beach. Who knows if it was demoic acid. I ate the crabs I caught and didn't die..

ate 3 from HMB last week and had no issues