Shellfish Program home page - Washington State Dept. of Health

The mission of the Shellfish Program is to improve the health of people in Washington State by ensuring molluscan shellfish are safe to eat. Molluscan shellfish are those with hinged shells such as oysters, clams, and mussels.

Shellfish Program staff:

Monitor marine biotoxins such as paralytic shellfish poison and domoic acid in shellfish, and close harvest areas when levels pose a threat to public health;
License and inspect commercial shellfish operations;
Classify shellfish growing areas and monitor marine waters for pollution; and
Provide recreational harvesters with information about where, when, and what type of shellfish are safe to harvest.

Contact us

Publications and forms

Biotoxins (Marine Biotoxin Program)

New: DSP (Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning, newly detected at unsafe levels in Washington shellfish)
PSP (Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, formerly called "red tide")
Domoic Acid (also known as ASP, Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning)
Other illness causing agents:
- Norovirus
- Vibriosis in Shellfish
Clickable maps showing recreational shellfish closures
Shellfish closures bulletin (text version of closures, listed by county)
Biotoxins - Myths and Misconceptions

Varnish clams: what you should know about this species before you harvest.

See the list of public beaches closed to the recreational harvest of shellfish (the Marine Biotoxin Bulletin, updated whenever conditions change), or the "clickable maps"

Samish Bay downgrade questions and answers

Commercial shellfish licensing & certification

Commercial Shellfish Companies

Growing area classification

Publications

Commercial licensing information and forms, growing area reports, biotoxin fact sheets, recreational harvesting information, newsletters, and more.

Recreational shellfish harvesting

Follow us on Facebook

Where is it safe to dig shellfish? ("clickable maps")
Safe handling, storing, and cooking practices (pdf, 117kb)

EH Home
DOH Home | Access Washington | Privacy Notice | Disclaimer/Copyright Information

Links to external resources are provided as a public service and do not imply endorsement by the Washington State Department of Health.

Shellfish Program
Office of Shellfish and Water Protection
Division of Environmental Health
Washington State Department of Health

Send inquiries about DOH and its programs to the Health Consumer Assistance Office.
For comments or questions regarding this Web site, please send email to OSWP Web Coordinator.

Last Update : 08/11/2011 03:07 PM