Press release revealed that the Department of Fisheries Regional Manager Phil Shaw has moved to clarify issues around the safety of fish caught for human consumption from Wilson Inlet, near Denmark. He told that the inlet was currently subject to Department of Health warnings, related to contact with areas where water and sediment had been affected by potentially toxic algae.
As per Shaw skin contact with scummy water and contaminated gear should be avoided however, experts advise that healthy finfish caught in Wilson Inlet are safe to eat. Department of Fisheries pathologist Dr Brian Jones is of a view that cyanotoxins could kill fish, but, unlike shellfish, finfish were not known to concentrate the toxins in their bodies. he added that healthy fish not only don’t concentrate the cyanotoxins, they generally avoid algal blooms if they can.
Dr Jones advised that people should not eat shellfish, from areas where potentially toxic algae had been identified. He informed that shellfish do concentrate toxins and may have very high levels in their flesh. Shaw said it was also important to note there were efficient processes in place, to ensure that commercial shellfish growers did not harvest shellfish that contained toxins.
