2012 ODA Shellfish Monitoring

The ODA (Oregon Dept of Agriculture), a MOCHA partner, routinely monitors shellfish for the presence of two toxins: 1) domoic acid, a toxin produced by some species of Pseudo-nitzschia that causes Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning; and saxitoxin, which is produced by some species of Alexandrium and induces Paralytic Shellfish Poisioning. For the saftey of recreational shellfish harvesters, beaches are closed to harvesting when saxitoxin and domoic acid levels are greater than 80 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish tissue and 80 parts per million, respectively.

Official information regarding the current status of recreational shellfish harvesting in Oregon can be found at the ODA's Shellfish Saftey Closure website, including the ODA's safety hotline, the most frequently updated source of closure information for harvesters.

The approximate locations of sites typically sampled are shown on the map to the right. Graphs below are separated according to the three regions shown on the map (north, central or southern Oregon beaches). Saxitoxin levels are in red and domoic acid in blue, and dashed lines indicate safety closure threshold.

Click any graph to view a larger version. Updates occur approximately bi-weekly throughout the year, except winter months when sampling is less frequent (approximately every 4 weeks).

For previous years' data, please follow these links:
2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008

2012 Saxitoxin Levels (click to enlarge):

2012 Domoic Acid Levels (click to enlarge):