Recorded 7-19-2022
Jerry Borchert, WA Department of Health (WDOH), Marine Biotoxins Program presented this talk via Zoom before the Sound Water Stewards audience.
Washington has a reputation for safe, wholesome shellfish. Miles of Puget Sound shoreline and Washington coastal beaches attract hundreds of thousands of recreational harvesters each year. WDOH regularly tests bivalve molluscan shellfish and the water where they grow to make sure the shellfish are safe to eat. They also license and inspect commercial shellfish operations to make sure shellfish intended for markets and restaurants are safe. Action is taken when conditions pose a threat to public health.
Jerry Borchert describes the three types of marine biotoxins, their symptoms, and their prevalence in recent years and talks about monitoring shellfish tissue for the presence of biotoxins.
Brought to you by the Sound Toxins team at Sound Water Stewards. Sound Toxins teams around Puget Sound submit survey data of phytoplankton that may cause Harmful Algae Blooms (HAB) to WDOH in an early-warning program.
Note: SWS annual summer classes, Digging4Dinner, are on hold while we continue to monitor the Shellfish Safety Map. Learn more about Shellfish Safety in this live zoom talk.
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