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Oregon Coast mussels are back on the menu By Mark Freeman Updated: Nov 15, 2022 03:04 PM A A Mussels are considered safe to harvest on the Oregon Coast as of Tuesday, following a monthlong closure due to elevated levels of the marine toxin domoic acid found during sampling Oct. 11. [ODFW photo] Mussel harvesting has returned to the entire Oregon Coast just in time for Thanksgiving week. Tests showed levels of the marine toxin domoic acid in mussels throughout the coast have dropped below levels considered unhealthy by Oregon Department of Agriculture. That allowed a harvest closure to be lifted Tuesday morning, a month after domoic acid levels in mussels were the second-highest ever recorded on Oregon beaches since monitoring began in 1991, according to Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Mussels collect domoic acid very quickly, so tests in mussels typically show whether there is a lot of domoic acid out there at the time,“ ODFW shellfish biologist Matt Hunter said. In Oregon, mussel harvests from Oregon beaches are closed when domoic acid levels reach 20 parts per million in sampling. Tests typically are conducted every two weeks, and it takes two consecutive samples of safe domoic acid levels to lift a closure. The Oct. 11 test showed mussels containing 98 parts per million of domoic acid, Hunter said. That’s second only to 128 parts per million found in samples taken in May 2005 at Cannon Beach, he said. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin produced by microscopic algae. The algae concentrates in shellfish, and the acid can trigger amnesic shellfish poisoning in people. Symptoms include vomiting, nausea and abdominal cramps within 24 hours or ingestion. ODFW has the authority to open and close sport and commercial fisheries, but it does so under health and public-safety recommendations from ODA, which is in charge of food safety in the state. Razor clam harvesting coastwide remains closed due to elevated domoic acid levels in those shellfish, which tend to rid themselves of toxins more slowly than mussels. Bay clam and crabbing also remain open along the entire coast, but continued domoic acid levels in razor clams could threaten the start of the ocean commercial and recreational crabbing season set to open Dec. 1. Dungeness crab feed heavily on razor clams. The mussel harvest in Oregon is a regional and rather localized shellfish fishery, with rocky beaches of the South Coast creating prime areas to pry mussels off marine rocks. Oregon’s coast hosts two kinds of mussels, bay mussels and California surf mussels. The surf mussels are brown or black and can grow up to 7 inches long. Collectors wear thick gloves and use a twisting motion to pull them off rocks, then immediately pull the “beard” off the bottom. “Beard“ is the term for hairs that anchor the mussels to rocks. Mussels typically are steamed in water or wine and eaten out of the shells. But they remain an acquired taste, Hunter said. “People either love mussels, or they absolutely can’t do it,” Hunter said. “Personally, I’m on the fence.” Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or email him at [email protected].