Food >
Consumer Centre > Specific Products / Risks What You Need To Know Before Harvesting Shellfish This Summer
Bivalve shellfish (also known as molluscs) are an excellent source of protein, are high
in essential minerals, and low in calories, fat and cholesterol. Bivalve shellfish have a
hinged two-part shell. They include oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and cockles.
Bivalve shellfish are highly sensitive to the quality of their marine environment. They
feed on microscopic plants that can sometimes produce marine biotoxins, which can build up
in their tissues. Eating shellfish with high levels of these biotoxins can lead to serious
and potentially fatal illness. Bacteria, viruses, metals and contaminants may also build
up in the tissues of bivalve shellfish and cause food safety concerns for humans.
What can I do to protect myself and my family?
- Be cautious when harvesting bivalve shellfish. It is your
responsibility to call your nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) office (listed in
the local telephone directory) to find out which areas are assigned as open
for bivalve shellfish harvesting. An open area refers to a safe harvest area
that is subject to monitoring and testing, and where harvesting is a legal activity. When
an area is officially closed, it is illegal to harvest
bivalve shellfish in that area for any purpose, unless a special licence is issued.
- Updates on the opening and closing of harvesting areas are communicated to the public
though local media, notices posted in closed areas, and information provided by local DFO
offices.
- Purchase bivalve shellfish only from suppliers you trust and those that have harvested
from open areas approved by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
- Bivalve shellfish should be refrigerated or frozen until consumption.
- Cooking bivalve shellfish does not always destroy toxins or other contaminants. Properly
cooked shellfish can still be toxic.
- Anyone who feels ill after eating bivalve shellfish should immediately seek medical
attention.
- Bivalve shellfish can have high levels of marine toxins during any given month,
depending on environmental conditions.
- Bivalve shellfish poisoning can also occur in other countries. Tourists should be
cautious when consuming bivalve shellfish abroad.
For more information on food-borne illness and safe food handling practices, visit the CFIAs website at www.inspection.gc.ca.
To find out which bivalve shellfish harvesting areas are open, call your nearest DFO
office listed in the blue pages of your local telephone directories.
P0466E-06
April 2006 |