The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is warning people against eating shellfish taken from Ulvsundet in Øygarden municipality until Friday 7 July.
That’s what they write on Matportalen.no Mussel forecast for week 27.
This warning applies to both mussels and scallops.
On June 26, concentrations of the algae Alexandrium spp. above the hazard limit were detected on scallops in Ulvsundet.
These algae produce toxins
Earlier this year there were several warnings against eating mussels and scallops from Ulvsundet.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority also warns against eating shellfish from Rogøysund in Bømlo. Here again the caveat is due to toxins from the algae Alexandrium spp.
They urge people to be careful when collecting shells, though advice varies from place to place on the same beach.
Warning in 16 locations
Every year from March 17, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority monitors mussels for algal toxins. They send advice from 33 different locations in Norway.
In week 27, 16 places have issued warnings against eating shellfish.
Store-bought and commercially sold Norwegian-farmed mussels and other types of shellfish must be regulated and safe.
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is mainly looking for diarrheal shellfish poisoning (DSP poisoning) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP poisoning). These are diarrhea poison and nerve poison respectively.
They also look for algae that produce amnesic shellfish toxin (ASP toxin). The poison damages brain cells and can cause permanent memory loss.
In addition, they take samples to map contamination from bacteria, viruses and environmental toxins in shells and algae that are toxic to fish.
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