The Zeiger Family Homestead Blog

As mentioned in a recent post (“Don’t Touch the Water!”) Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, or PSP, hangs like the sword of Damocles over beach foragers (see The Tide is Out, the Table is Set: Beach Foraging).

This deadly alga can accumulate in and contaminate some of the most delectable mollusks: clams, cockles, and mussels. Cautious people harvest only from beaches that have been tested and certified as safe. In all of Alaska, with more miles of coastline than the rest of the United States combined, we have only two certified beaches! All others are supposed to be unsafe. Alaska has a thriving private clam and oyster farming industry, so certification of more public beaches seems unlikely.

Nevertheless, people traditionally harvest clams and mussels every year all over Southeast Alaska with no ill effects. Aly and I used to eat local mussels at particular, severely-restricted times of the year, but no longer do so. Algae blooms are on the rise in the world’s oceans, increasing the likelihood of PSP contamination; living remotely, the likelihood of getting what little medical aid might help against PSP is nil. Better to seek alternatives. Continue reading →