The State Department of Health has closed recreational shellfish harvesting in all of Quartermaster Harbor and its beaches due to unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish poison.

The closure, effective July 23, includes all species of shellfish including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, snails and other invertebrates, but does not include crab or shrimp, according to the DOH. Crabmeat is not known to contain the PSP toxin, but their guts and the fat in the back of their shell can contain unsafe levels, so crabs should be cleaned thoroughly and their guts discarded.

Advisory signs will be posted at beaches warning people against collecting shellfish, according to the DOH.

Paralytic shellfish poison is a naturally-occurring neurotoxin created by some species of algae. Shellfish can

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