Sea Grant website offers free PSP information, resources
June 18, 2010
907-474-7449
6/18/10
Experts at the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program are reminding the public that Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning poses a significant threat to people who eat wild shellfish harvested from Alaska beaches and waters not deemed safe by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
In the wake of the tragic death of a Juneau woman earlier this week, and incidences of other people becoming sick, Alaska Sea Grant is directing people to a website that offers easy-to-understand, free information about shellfish, PSP history, symptoms and first aid. The site is online at http://seagrant.uaf.edu/features/PSP/psp_page.html.
Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, also known as PSP, is caused by toxins produced by some species of microscopic algae called dinoflagellates, said MAP aquaculture specialist Ray RaLonde. People who eat shellfish that have been feeding on toxic dinoflagellates can suffer from numbness, paralysis, disorientation and death.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation testing program ensures that shellfish reaching the retail food market are safe, but there is no testing of recreational- and subsistence-harvested shellfish.
For more information, contact your local Marine Advisory Program office or call toll-free statewide, 1-888-788-6333. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation also offers PSP information on its website: http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/fss/seafood/psp/psp.htm
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Ray RaLonde, MAP aquaculture specialist, at 907-274-9697 or via e-mail at afrlr@uaa.alaska.edu. Doug Schneider, Sea Grant information officer, at 907-474-7449 or doug.schneider@alaska.edu.
ON THE WEB: http://seagrant.uaf.edu/features/PSP/psp_page.html
DS/6-18-10/255-10