Abstract
Officials have postponed the West Coast’s Dungeness crab season indefinitely because of a massive contamination of the toxin domoic acid. The drastic event not only will disappoint fans of the delicacy but also could cost the commercial crab fishing industry $60 million. The potent neurotoxin, discovered only in recent decades, is produced by the marine alga Pseudo-nitzschia, which is eaten by shellfish and some small fish. Domoic acid becomes more concentrated, and more dangerous, in organisms further up the food chain, as larger animals eat the contaminated smaller creatures. Although the algae bloom seasonally, this year’s El Nino-induced warm ocean temperatures off the West Coast have nurtured a massive bloom. California monitors toxins in seafood year-round and recently detected high levels of domoic acid in Dungeness and rock crabs. On Nov. 6, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife called off the crab season which was slated to start Nov. ...
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