CFIA warns of paralytic toxin in shellfish on Quebec's North Shore
Shellfish biotoxin warning in Quebec alerts buyers to unsafe mussels, clams and scallops. Check approved harvest zones before you eat or collect them.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people about a paralytic biotoxin found in shellfish harvested in parts of Quebec’s North Shore. The advisory covers mussels, clams, scallops and oysters from some approved harvesting sectors between Tadoussac and Forestville.
Health officials said tests found high toxin levels in bivalve shellfish collected earlier this month. The government has marked unauthorized harvesting zones on its Shelli map, and officials are urging people to collect shellfish only in open and approved areas.
The agency said the toxin cannot be detected by sight and is not destroyed by cooking. Symptoms can appear within minutes or hours after eating contaminated shellfish and may include numbness, dizziness, headache and trouble swallowing. In severe cases, it can cause paralysis and respiratory failure.