MOUNT VERNON — Vibrio can be bad news for those who savor raw oysters — and the businesses that sell them.
Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacteria that thrives in warm temperatures and can cause intestinal distress to those eating contaminated shellfish. While cooking can kill vibrio in oysters, many consumers prefer them raw.
For that reason, “bad oysters” is a generally accepted term for the cause of the stomach-wrenching symptoms. Last year, the state Department of Health received 76 reports of vibrio-related illness, a handful of which led to a two-month closure for Samish Bay shellfish harvesters Taylor Shellfish Farms and Blau Oyster Co.
But historically, closures don’t happen until after people get sick.
Now, the state is proposing a change to proactive regulations that would base closures on weather conditions favorable to vibrio parahaemoliticus bacteria, rather than waiting until illnesses are confirmed.
The Department of Health is accepting public comment on the proposal through March 11.
Local shellfish growers support the recommendations, saying the changes would better protect public health without creating hardships for the local industry.
“I think that’s a more reasonable way of approaching the problem,” Blau Oyster Co. owner Paul Blau said.
Following the seasonlong closure last year, Blau received a state exemption that allowed his company to sell shucked oysters with warning labels. It helped, but the small business still felt an impact.
“Not being able to sell live oysters in the shells . that’s kind of our high-priced product that we sell that time of year,” Blau said.
Under current regulation, inland areas like Samish Bay are subject to summerlong closures if four illnesses are traced back.
“That means a lot of closures are taking place in August and September, when we know most illness occurs in July and August,” state Office of Shellfish and Water Protection spokeswoman Laura Johnson said.
The revision would set water temperature thresholds that would result in shorter harvest times or full closures when exceeded.
“We’re excited about the change. It will be a positive one for public health . and we don’t think we’ll be closed any more than we have historically. We will just be closed proactively,” Taylor Shellfish Farms spokesman Bill Dewey said.
For inland areas, harvest closures would occur at 66 degrees and last until 24 hours after the temperature drops.
Oyster harvesters would also be required to cool shellfish to 50 degrees or less within five hours, as well as report harvest quantity and water temperature to the state agency.
“We know the growth of vibrio is so tied to temperature, it only makes sense that you’re going to be required to record temperatures when you harvest,” Dewey said.
To date, the Department of Health has tracked reports of vibrio-related illness, but not the quantity of oysters sold. The new data-filing requirement will enable the agency to look at the ratio of sickness to the number of oysters consumed.
“Everybody has been frustrated by our historic way of managing vibrio in the state . What we’ve done historically is monitor for illnesses, and then when we get those illnesses we shut it down,” Dewey said. “That’s a really bad way to manage public health, but we didn’t have another tool to do it. I think we’ve come up with a solution in this new rule.”
Dewey said identifying the illness-causing strains of the bacteria and monitoring for it in local waters would be even more ideal for both health and harvest management, but until that science is refined, the proposed rules are a good way to go.
The vibrio control plan was last updated in 2009.
Last year’s 76 cases of illness were just four shy of the annual record of 80 cases in 2006, Johnson said.
Following the public comment period for the latest revision proposal, a public hearing is expected to be held in Tumwater March 11. If the Legislature approves the update, it will take effect May 1.
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