KEY POINTS:
A toxic shellfish warning remains in place for much of the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel.
Public medical officer of health Dr Phil Shoemack said levels of paralytic shellfish poison were particularly high along the eastern coastline and people were urged to avoid all bivalve shellfish until further notice.
Mussels, pipi, tuatua, cockles, oysters, scallops, catseyes and kina (sea urchins) are all covered by the warning. Paua, crayfish and crabs can still be taken but, as always, the gut should be removed before cooking.
Results received on Wednesday confirmed people should continue to avoid collecting or eating shellfish from the wider Coromandel and Bay of Plenty coastline, from Tairua (including Tairua Harbour) south, including Whiritoa, Whangamata, Onemana and east along the Bay of Plenty coastline (including Tauranga and Ohiwa Harbours) to the mouth of the Motu River in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Off-limits are all inshore islands within the warning area, including Matakana, Motiti and Whale Islands.
If eaten, the toxin can cause numbness and tingling, difficulty swallowing or breathing, dizziness and double vision. In severe cases it can cause paralysis or respiratory failure within 12 hours.
Information will be posted on www.nzfsa.govt.nz.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
