Although the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation last week shut down a Halibut Cove oyster farm because of increased paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) levels, oysters sold by the Kachemak Bay Shellfish Growers Cooperative remain safe to eat, Marie Bader, the president of the Kachemak Shellfish Mariculture Association said on Monday.

“We want the general public to have full faith in the co-op, and we will only sell product that is 100-percent safe for them to eat,” Bader said.

DEC tests through lot sampling oysters harvested from Kachemak Bay oyster farms. Bader said the Kachemak Bay Shellfish Growers Co-op submits weekly to DEC samples from each farm harvested. George Scanlan, DEC shellfish permit coordinator, said oysters will only be sold from lots that have been tested.

“If it’s a commercial harvest, it’s been tested,” he said last Friday. “If you’re going to a restaurant and oysters are served and it’s a commercial product, I’m good it’s been tested.”

Read the full story at Homer News >>

Read more about oysters >>