In Santa Barbara County, a new warning has been issued for all residents who harvest shellfish locally.
The California Department of Health (CDPH) says that bivalve shellfish harvested in the region were recently found to contain dangerous levels of domoic acid.
In response, the agency advised that bivalve shellfish harvested for sport or recreation in the region should not be eaten.
Officials say the warning covers mussels, clams, and scallops from Santa Barbara County.
The new advisory comes a week after a similar warning about locally-harvested shellfish containing dangerous paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins.
According to CDPH, both of these phenomena are from naturally occurring toxins linked to plankton, and cooking the shellfish does not destroy the toxins.
Officials report that sport harvesters should not eat their bivalve shellfish until these advisories are lifted and during annual mussel quarantine in the summer.
CDPH adds that shellfish sold at restaurants, grocery stores, or fish markets are still safe to consume since commercial harvesting must undergo stricter testing requirements.
