There’s a shellfish harvest ban across Pierce County beaches. Here’s why
Update, Sept. 2: The closure on the Narrows has been lifted. The Colvos Passage closure remains in effect, according to the state Department of Health.
Update, Aug. 29: Washington Department of Health lifted the shellfish biotoxin closure for recreational shellfish harvesting in Commencement Bay on Friday. “The shellfish biotoxin concentrations are again at safe levels in this area,” the agency said in a news release.
A closure remains in effect for Colvos Passage and the Narrows, the agency said.
Original post: Beaches in Pierce County are closed to shellfish harvesting due to dangerous levels of biotoxins, according to a Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department news release on Aug. 8.
The closure ordered by the Washington State Department of Health applies to the “shoreline from Days Island and Point Fosdick north to the King and Kitsap County lines, including Commencement Bay, Colvos Passage and the Narrows,” the release said. You can still safely consume shellfish from stores and restaurants.
The culprit biotoxin is called paralytic shellfish poison (PSP), which impacts the nervous system and paralyzes muscles. High levels of PSP can lead to severe illness and death, sometimes within half an hour, according to the release. Shellfish eat algae that produce the naturally occurring toxin and can retain it, according to the Department of Health website.
Possible symptoms a person can exhibit after eating toxic shellfish include tingling of the lips and tongue, from minutes to up to two hours after consumption. Later, a person’s symptoms can include tingling in fingers and toes, loss of control of arms and legs, difficulty breathing, nausea or a sense of floating. A person who consumes enough of the toxin can suffocate due to paralysis of chest and abdomen muscles, the release says.
Call your doctor and the health department if you exhibit mild symptoms. Call 911 or have someone take you to the emergency room if your symptoms are severe.
“The Washington Department of Health regularly tests shellfish for PSP and closes areas that have unsafe levels,” the release said. “Before harvesting any kind of shellfish, check DOH’s Shellfish Safey Map or call the Marine Biotoxin Hotline at 800-562-5632. You will find which recreational areas are closed because of biotoxins.”
Public beaches sometimes have signs alerting visitors to the closure, but not always, according to the release.
Those with questions can contact the Surface Water Program at ehsurfacewater-shellfish@tpchd.org or get more information on the health department website. The department’s active surface water advisories are listed at tpchd.org/advisories.
This story was originally published August 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
