SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash. – Skagit County health officials are telling shellfish harvesters to steer clear of certain beaches.
Samples taken from Samish Bay found oysters with dangerously high levels of paralytic shellfish poison toxins, or PSP.
The health department has since ordered the closure of Samish Bay, Sinclair Island, Cypress Island, and some Guemes Island beaches for recreational harvest.
Symptoms of PSP include numbness, nausea, abdominal pain, and respiratory distress.
Health officials say that additional testing will determine when the beaches will reopen for safe harvesting.