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SEAFOOD INDUSTRY Spike in acid levels keeps crab season closed Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Dec. 4, 2015 at 3:31 PM Updated Dec 4, 2015 at 4:00 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Dec. 4, 2015 at 3:31 PM Updated Dec 4, 2015 at 4:00 PM » Social News Sport-crabbers may have to wait until mid-December before they will be allowed back on South Coast bays and beaches catching Dungeness amid continued concerns about domoic acid levels in these crustaceans. Despite two straight weeks of tests that showed domoic acid levels below thresholds considered unhealthy coastwide, a spike this past week of as much as 450 percent in acid levels in crabs sampled outside of Brookings and Winchester Bay has state authorities uncomfortable with lifting the health advisory until another round of tests is analyzed. "It's not trending the way we want to see it," said Matt Hunter, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's shellfish program coordinator. "This is a new age when it comes to domoic acid," Hunter says. "We've never seen it this expansive and in winter months." State protocols call for Dungeness samples to be at least seven days apart, meaning ODFW crews cannot go out until this weekend to get samples for lab testing, Hunter says. Weather forecasts call for surf as high as 20 feet in some locales this weekend, so survey boats might be held at bay until late next week, he says. "It could be up to 14 days before we get any samples," Hunter says. Meanwhile, waters north of Heceta Head remain open to sport-crabbers. The spike in domoic acid could have lingering consequences for the commercial crabbing season, which was set to open Dec. 1. The states of Oregon, Washington and California were scheduled to discuss Monday how to proceed with the commercial season, says Hugh Link, executive director of the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission. Options include keeping the season closed, opening the commercial season in Washington and north of Heceta Head, or opening the season along the entire Oregon and Washington coasts but not in California, where domoic acid levels remain higher in Dungeness. "The ultimate goal is to make sure we deliver a safe product to our consumers and a product they can have confidence in," Link says. The health advisory that closed the South Coast to crabbing was issued when domoic acid levels in crabs measured above 30 parts per million. It can be lifted when samples measure below that level for two consecutive weeks. For the past two weeks, all of Oregon's sample sites have remained under that level, but two-thirds of the sites saw increases from the first week to the next, Hunter says. Samples outside of Winchester Bay rose from 8.1 parts per million of domoic acid to 25 parts per million, Hunter says. One Brookings-area site saw domoic acid levels rise from 3.7 parts per million to 17 parts per million, and another Brookings-area site rose from 9.3 parts per million to 25 parts per million, he says. Domoic acid, a toxin produced by algae, has been found at high levels in razor clams along the Oregon Coast this year. Crabs collect the acid by eating razor clams. Domoic acid, or amnesic shellfish toxin, can cause minor to severe illness and even death, according to ODFW. Severe poisoning can result in dizziness, headaches, vomiting and diarrhea, the agency said. More severe cases can result in memory loss and death. The toxins cannot be removed by cooking or freezing the crabs. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Dec. 4, 2015 at 3:31 PM Updated Dec 4, 2015 at 4:00 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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