Washington Department of Health Lifts Closures Due to Vibriosis from Washington Oysters

[Update 10/4: Flooding and heavy rainfall continue to keep some growing areas closed to all shellfish harvesting. As examples, portions of Burley Lagoon, Henderson Inlet, Oakland Bay and Samish Bay remain closed. Recreational harvesters should check the DOH website for updated information.]

On October 1, Washington's Department of Health lifted the closures to commercial harvesting of oysters due to vibriosis which was traced to oysters harvested from the following growing areas in Washington's Puget Sound. Included were:

Burley Lagoon (Pierce County), Hammersley Inlet (Mason County), Oakland Bay (Mason County), Peale Passage (Mason County), Pickering Passage (Mason County), Reach Island (Mason Couty), Totten Inlet (Mason County), Dabob Bay (Jefferson County), and Samish Bay (Skagit County). Popular names of oysters from these areas include "Totten Virginicas", "Pickering Sweets", "Oakland Bay Kumos" or "Hammersley Oysters."

Steps taken to control vibriosis from the consumption of raw oysters harvested by certified growers in Washington continues to fail in its attempt to lower the number of cases. Between 2006 and most recently reported numbers in 2013, cases of vibriosis traced directly to Washington state oysters have risen from just over 50 to near 80, a near 60% increase. The Huffington Post has recently reported vibriosis from oysters harvested from the east coast have also increased.

A naturally occurring bacteria, Vibrio blooms with each summer's warming temperatures. Some have blamed the genetically modified triploid oyster being more "palatable" to consumers during the summer, resulting in an increased number of raw oysters being consumed. Bob Rheault with the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association claims Vibrio may be becoming "more virulent" or the numbers are only "statistical noise."

At the end of October the FDA and industry will meet for the biennial Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference where they will once again attempt to come up with a means to control this increasing number. To date, controls proposed by the FDA have been met with strong resistance from the industry who believe an "economic hardship" will result if the current "reactive" methods in place are changed to a more "proactive" focus (e.g., forcing post harvest processing to kill the bacteria in all oysters harvested during the "no R" months or, in the extreme, banning the sale of oysters from raw consumption during the warm summer months from areas consistently shown to result in vibriosis).

Vibriosis Illness Traced to Washington's Peale Passage Oysters

Vibriosis contracted from Washington Oysters

ISSC Meeting October 26 - November 1

will address how to minimize the risk.

Vibriosis Contracted from Washington Oysters
The Washington Department of Health has reported that vibriosis has been contracted from oysters harvested from Peale Passage in Washington state. As a result, the Department has closed this growing area to the commercial harvest of oysters until September 30.
Contact: Cari Franz-West at 360-236-3330, Cari.Franz-West@DOH.WA.GOV.
Recreational harvesting information is available at www.doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety.htm.

Peale Passage, Washington

Between Squaxin and Harstine Islands

This follows on the heels of Burley Lagoon having also been closed, along with a large area of southern Puget Sound which has commercial harvesting of oysters closed for over a month now. Oysters grown in this area include names such as the Totten Virginica, Shelton Kumamoto and Pickering Sweets, distributed throughout the country.

Growing Areas in South Puget Sound

Closed to the Commercial Harvest of Oysters

Consuming any food has risks. Consuming raw oysters during the summer months ("no R") increases that risk. As noted in the Huffington Post, increasing that risk is rising water temperatures which enhances the environment in which the naturally occurring bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus grows. Based on the past and current harvest and handling methods it can be guaranteed vibriosis will be contracted from Washington state oysters harvested during the summer.

ISSC Meeting To Address Risks with FDA and Growers
October 26-November 1 the ISSC (International Shellfish Sanitation Conference) will be held where the FDA and shellfish industry representatives will be meeting again to try and determine the risk and develop methods to minimize that risk. It is something which the industry has been working on but FDA proposed controls over harvesting and processing have been met with resistance from the industry for years due to the economic impact it may have on the growers and restaurants. The FDA's viewpoint is one of how to best protect the consumer.