People are being advised not to gather shellfish in Castlemaine Harbour due to the presence of a marine toxin.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority issued the warning about eating shellfish from the area over the coming weeks as the toxin can cause serious illness.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning was detected during routine testing as part of Ireland’s shellfish monitoring programme, which is managed by the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority with the Marine Institute.
Phytoplankton which some shellfish feed on is occasionally blighted by blooms of species that produce toxins; they don’t harm shellfish but can cause illness in humans and that’s why the authority is warning people not to gather shellfish for consumption in Castlemaine Harbour.
Shellfish growing areas in the South West and West coasts are also experiencing high levels of Diarrheic shellfish poisoning, which has led to a number of areas being closed for harvesting until these toxic events pass.
The authority is also reminding restaurants and other food businesses to always to buy from approved suppliers only.
The public can check the status of an area through the Marine Institute’s website while food businesses should always look for the oval approval number on orders, as this confirms the supplier is approved to sell live bivalve molluscs such as oysters, mussels, clams and cockles.
