SEQUIM — A biotoxin has closed Sequim Bay and authorities are banning all recreational harvest of shellfish in the bay.
Peninsula Daily News reported that Sequim Bay is the only body of saltwater in the U.S. where diarrhetic shellfish poisoning has been found.
Further east in Jefferson County, Discovery Bay is also being monitored for the biotoxin but health officials say that bay hasn’t been affected by DSP. Other problems have shut down shellfish harvesting in Discovery Bay.
In August, three King County residents who ate mussels they harvested at Sequim Bay State Park fell ill with DSP. Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning can cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and chills. Recent federal testing of mussels from Sequim Bay again found elevated levels of DSP.
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