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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Fish and Game Commission voted Thursday to delay opening of the crab-fishing season as officials scramble to deal with a coastal algae bloom that has left Dungeness crabs with a potentially fatal toxin called domoic acid. Meeting by conference call, the commission voted 3-0 to delay the recreational crabbing season, which was supposed to begin Saturday. Officials said the season would open once the toxins, which the crabs flush out of their systems, are reduced to safe levels. The vote came two days after the Department of Public Health issued an advisory warning against consumption of Dungeness and rock crabs. Mild cases of domoic acid poisoning can cause vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness; severe cases can bring permanent memory loss, cardiac arrest, seizures or even death. “This is something we absolutely have to do,” said Fish and Game Commission member Eric Sklar. Oregon state officials issued an advisory this week for all recreationally caught crab along the state's southern coast, from south of Coos Bay to California. Officials warned people to remove the viscera, or guts, before eating the crab meat. Last month, Washington shellfish managers postponed the fall start of razor clam digging on ocean beaches, and all razor clamming remains closed along the Oregon coast because of high levels of domoic acid. The California crab season will stay closed until the Department of Public Health and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment say the crabs are safe to eat. “When it’s clear, we’ll get the fisheries open as soon as possible,” said Sonke Mastrup, the executive director of the commission. The problem is being caused by a massive coastal bloom of algae, fueled by the warming of ocean temperatures triggered by the El Nino weather pattern. The commission also voted to temporarily shutter the recreational rock crab season, which is supposed to be open year round. The looming decision on commercial fishing will affect an industry that’s already dealing with a shortened season for Chinook salmon, a casualty of the state’s four-year drought. It also creates problems for scores of California consumers who regard crab as a seasonal treat, particularly around the winter holidays. Numerous nonprofits raise funds at crab feeds over the winter. “We understand the necessity for the closure,” said George Osborn, who represents the Coastside Fishing Club, a San Francisco Bay Area recreational fishing group. “None of us like it. You don’t like it. We don’t like it. But we don’t want anybody getting sick.” Not everyone who addressed the commission Thursday was in favor of delaying the season. “We don’t have data in any of our crabs that support this (closure) right now,” said Bill Gerard, a Santa Barbara commercial rock crab wholesaler and fisherman. He said that because the toxins are usually only concentrated in the guts of rock crabs, he should be allowed to continue to sell their claws. He said some other states have allowed that practice during algae blooms and their crab claws remain safe to eat. Instead, he said he’s watching his crab buyers overreact. “The dock was crazy last night,” he said. “All our buyers canceled their orders.” Officials with the commission said Gerard needs to take his concerns to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which will rule on the fate of the commercial industry.