For immediate release: April 8, 2010 (10-058)
Contact:
Cathy Barker, Office of Shellfish
and Water Protection 360-236-3303
Gordon MacCracken,
Communications Office
360-236-4072
Quilcene firm’s shellfish license suspended; illegal harvesting
alleged
OLYMPIA ¾
Suspected illegal shellfish harvesting and other company license violations have
led the state Department of Health to
immediately suspend the license of G & R Quality Seafood, Quilcene.
State health officials intend to revoke the firm’s license. In addition to
illegal harvest activities, the department has identified improper tagging
violations. Tags allow authorities to trace shellfish back to their sources
during illness investigations.
The Department of Health works with the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on shellfish enforcement actions.
After months of investigation, Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers arrested
G&R’s owner-operator last month. Officers seized shellfish that didn’t bear the
required certification tags, two barges, a 16-foot vessel, five firearms, and a
van.
“Food safety and public health is our
ultimate concern. We do everything we can to prevent people from getting ill,”
said Maryanne Guichard, director of the agency shellfish program.
Shellfish are at times eaten raw, particularly Washington oysters. That
makes it even more important to have good food handling practices and assurances
that shellfish are harvested only from approved growing areas. In those areas,
the environment is monitored and regularly tested for potential contamination,
including marine biotoxins.
The shellfish industry has long been an
important part of Washington’s economy. The Department of Health regulates the
shellfish industry and has an education-based cooperative partnership
with it. Enforcement is used only when necessary to protect public health.###
