In an update to last week’s closure of Quartermaster Harbor, the Washington Sate Department of Health (DOH)  has now closed the entire island to shellfish harvesting, due to high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison in the water.

The closure is for all species of clams (including geoduck), oysters, scallops, mussels and other invertebrates, such as moon snails. The closure does not apply to shrimp or crabs, however the DOH recommends that crabs be cleaned thoroughly and the guts discarded to be safe.

For more information on shellfish safety, go to doh.wa.gov/shellfishsafety.htm