The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning consumers not to eat the internal organs or viscera of rock crab harvested from Northern coastal waters due to elevated levels of domoic acid.

According to CDPH, the warning applies to state waters stretching from the California/ Oregon border south to the Sonoma/ Mendocino County line. The advisory follows recent domoic acid testing of Dungeness crab collected in the same areas where rock crab is found, which showed concentrations exceeding the safe level for crab viscera. CDPH reported that no illnesses have been associated with the findings.

CDPH advises consumers to always discard the internal organs and cooking liquids when preparing crab to avoid potential exposure to domoic acid. The agency recommends removing the viscera and rinsing the body cavity before cooking. If a whole crab is cooked in liquid, domoic acid can leach into the broth, and the cooking water should be discarded and not reused in dishes such as soups, stews, sauces, or stocks. 

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can appear between 30 minutes to 24 hours after consuming contaminated seafood. CDPH said it is continuing to coordinate with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the fishing community to collect and test crab samples from the affected areas until the levels dissipate. Updated test results are posted as they become available on the CDPH Domoic Acid webpage.