Avoid Morro Bay right now

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/21/state/n071157D31.DTL

Maybe it was a good thing that I didn't do much kayaking down there last weekend!

I did see some red tide signs up warning about the shellfish.

-Brian G

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/21/state/n071157D31.DTL

The main beach at Santa Cruz just got a similar warning. It happens periodically due to rivers breaking through to the ocean, or large amounts of birds pooping in an area. Nothing to worry about if you're kayaking. It's more of a warning to swimmers, so they don't get ear infections or an infected cut.

Similar warnings are posted periodically for beaches around Monterey, PG including Stillwater.  I usually do not pay them much attention because I do not fish right on the beach and they are mostly concerned about swimmers anyway.  Even is a fish were exposed to bacterial contamination, it is not likely the bacteria would affect the meat and cooking the fish would kill it anyway.

There was some red tide in MDO this weekend, but not super thick. I think I've  mutated after 20 years of surfing and eating the fish anyways.