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A little while ago, somebody was asking about the safety of eating mussells from the North East coast.
Cant remember who it was, or which forum it was in.......but I did say that I\'d contact our (South Tynesides\') Environmental Health for guidance.
Well, I did......this is part of what I asked:
\"Hi Katy,
I run a N.E. based sea angling website and have around 600
members.
One of the site members is asking about the safety of eating
mussels found along the N.E. coast.
I know that in previous years, I\'ve seen signs up along the
seafront at Shields saying that shellfish taken fromt along the ST
coastline are not safe to eat.
Would that have just been a temporary thing, or are the
shellfish generally unsafe to eat, anyway.
TC\"
And this is the reply, I recieved today:
\"Hi Tony
The posters/notices you have seen in the past were placed
temporarily at key positions by the local authority to advise
people who may personally harvest mussels for consumption of
problems with the safety of these, and local authorities such as
ourselves on the shore used to undertake sampling of mussels at
intervals during the warmer weather. Problems tend to occur
annually in the late spring dependant on weather
conditions/feeding by the mussels, as some species of marine
algae form blooms in certain conditions which can produce
natural toxins. Mussels feeding on these algae can then
accumulate these toxins. These \"red tides\" are a natural
phenomenon and occur worldwide.
More recently under EC directives, countries must have in
place algal toxin monitoring programmes to cover all commercial
shellfish production areas, and fisheries can be closed if
toxins exceed permitted levels.
The most recent instance I am aware of, of commercial fishery
beds being closed was in Scotland where there is a large amount
of shellfish production.
Shellfish sampling is now arranged differently and is
primarily focused I understand around commercial harvesting
areas. However if there are issues of local concern we are
advised by the FSA, as was the case when there was a small oil
spillage in the vicinity of the Tyne, in order that we can
monitor effects locally and implement controls as necessary.
I hope this is of help.
There is a wealth of info on the internet about algal toxins
and shellfish but a lot of this is from Canada and US.
With regard to personally harvesting mussels for consumption
and the safety of this, I am not aware of any current problems,
and as advised the algal problems tend to occur in the late
spring and early summer but depending on weather conditions.
However shellfish, such as mussels are filter feeders so can
always be affected by the quality of the water in which they
live. I am sorry that it is not easy to give a definitative
answer, but conditions can change, particularly as you are
asking about naturally living mussels, rather than commercial
mussel beds.
Katy\"
Hope this answers the original query.
Cant remember who it was, or which forum it was in.......but I did say that I\'d contact our (South Tynesides\') Environmental Health for guidance.
Well, I did......this is part of what I asked:
\"Hi Katy,
I run a N.E. based sea angling website and have around 600
members.
One of the site members is asking about the safety of eating
mussels found along the N.E. coast.
I know that in previous years, I\'ve seen signs up along the
seafront at Shields saying that shellfish taken fromt along the ST
coastline are not safe to eat.
Would that have just been a temporary thing, or are the
shellfish generally unsafe to eat, anyway.
TC\"
And this is the reply, I recieved today:
\"Hi Tony
The posters/notices you have seen in the past were placed
temporarily at key positions by the local authority to advise
people who may personally harvest mussels for consumption of
problems with the safety of these, and local authorities such as
ourselves on the shore used to undertake sampling of mussels at
intervals during the warmer weather. Problems tend to occur
annually in the late spring dependant on weather
conditions/feeding by the mussels, as some species of marine
algae form blooms in certain conditions which can produce
natural toxins. Mussels feeding on these algae can then
accumulate these toxins. These \"red tides\" are a natural
phenomenon and occur worldwide.
More recently under EC directives, countries must have in
place algal toxin monitoring programmes to cover all commercial
shellfish production areas, and fisheries can be closed if
toxins exceed permitted levels.
The most recent instance I am aware of, of commercial fishery
beds being closed was in Scotland where there is a large amount
of shellfish production.
Shellfish sampling is now arranged differently and is
primarily focused I understand around commercial harvesting
areas. However if there are issues of local concern we are
advised by the FSA, as was the case when there was a small oil
spillage in the vicinity of the Tyne, in order that we can
monitor effects locally and implement controls as necessary.
I hope this is of help.
There is a wealth of info on the internet about algal toxins
and shellfish but a lot of this is from Canada and US.
With regard to personally harvesting mussels for consumption
and the safety of this, I am not aware of any current problems,
and as advised the algal problems tend to occur in the late
spring and early summer but depending on weather conditions.
However shellfish, such as mussels are filter feeders so can
always be affected by the quality of the water in which they
live. I am sorry that it is not easy to give a definitative
answer, but conditions can change, particularly as you are
asking about naturally living mussels, rather than commercial
mussel beds.
Katy\"
Hope this answers the original query.
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