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Shellfish
Ocean Water Protection Program
State Advisory Regarding
Consumption of Mussels, Shellfish and some other seafood
from the Southern California Coast.
OCEAN & BAY WATER CLOSURES, POSTINGS & ADVISORIES
As part of the County of Orange Health Care Agency
(HCA), Environmental Health’s Ocean Water Protection
Program is responsible for protecting the public
from exposure to ocean and bay waters that may be
contaminated with sewage or may cause illness along
Orange County’s 42 miles of open ocean coastline,
and 70 miles of harbor and bay frontage. Ocean and
bay waters used for body-contact recreational
activities such as swimming, surfing, shellfish
collection and diving must meet specific
bacteriological standards to be considered safe for
such purposes.
Over the past 40 years, the Health Care Agency
and two
local sanitation
agencies (the Orange
County Sanitation District and the South Orange
County Wastewater Authority) have been cooperatively
testing the coastal waters in Orange County for
bacteria that indicate the possible presence of
disease-causing organisms. The sanitation
agencies and HCA program staff participate in the
weekly collection of water samples at approximately
150 ocean,
bay, harbor and drainage
locations throughout coastal Orange County.
Ocean Water Protection Program staff review the
results of bacteriological water samples every day
and issue ocean and bay water closures, postings and
health advisories under the requirements stipulated
by the California Health and Safety Code, and Title
17 of the California Code of Regulations. When the
results of testing indicate that one or more of the
Ocean Water-Contact Sports Standards have been
exceeded, the public is notified (i.e., signs are
posted at the beach, the hotline at 714/433-6400 and
Web page at ocbeachinfo.com
are updated), and the sampling frequency and
locations may increase until the sample results meet
established standards and/or the source of the
problem is eliminated. In addition, the Ocean Water
Protection Program staff respond on a 24-hour basis
to investigate reports of
sewage spills or other
contamination incidents affecting Orange County’s
ocean and bay waters.
Shellfish
The Annual Mussel Quarantine in California is in effect
from May 1 through October 31.
Consumers can receive updated
information by calling the California Department of
Health Services "Biotoxin Information Line" at
1-800-553-4133. Sport harvesting of mussels
for human consumption is not allowed along the entire
California coastline during this period. All bays and
inlets are included in the quarantine. The purpose of
this quarantine is to protect the public from deadly
poisons that may be present in bivalve mollusks, such as
mussels, clams, oysters and scallops. Since 1927,
California recorded 521 cases of Paralytic Shellfish
Poisoning, including 32 deaths.
Mussels are the most dangerous because they accumulate
high levels of toxins more quickly than other mollusks
and are commonly eaten without removing the digestive
organs. All dark meat should be removed from clams,
oysters and scallops before eating, since the poison may
be concentrated in those areas. Health officials
emphasize that toxic mussels cannot be distinguished
from harmless ones. Moreover, cooking does not destroy
the toxins, as they are heat resistant.
The California quarantine
applies only to mussels collected locally by sports
harvesters. All commercial shellfish harvesters in
California must be certified by the State and are subject to
strict testing requirements.
 The
safest guideline to follow is:
Do not eat mussels from California coastal waters
collected by sports harvesters from May 1 through October
31.
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