The recreational Dungeness crab season opened Saturday along the Sonoma Coast.
State officials are warning about dangerous levels of domoic acid in the crabs’ internal organs. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Department of Public Health issued a health advisory on October 24 after detecting the naturally occurring toxin in crab viscera.
Officials stressed that cooking does not destroy the toxin and advised fishers not to eat any internal organs. Domoic acid poisoning can cause nausea, dizziness, and in severe cases, memory loss or death.
The advisory applies to fishers from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line down to Point Reyes.
