Jefferson County’s top public health officer is urging anyone who plans to eat shellfish captured from Hood Canal to thoroughly cook it.
That’s because vibrio parahaemolyticus has been detected at Dosewallips, Duckabush, Point Whitney and Seal Rock, said Mike McNickle, director of Jefferson County Department of Environmental Health.
Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacteria that lives in salt water and begins to form when water temperature exceeds 59 degrees, said McNickle.
Shellfish with vibrio are rendered safe by being cooked at at least 145 degrees for 15 seconds he said.
But, “if you don’t properly cook your shellfish you will experience vomiting and diarrhea,” McNickle said.
It is not known to be fatal, but the effect could be more severe for those with immune deficiencies or young or elderly people who eat shellfish laced with the bacteria.
The county Department of Environmental Health has posted signs at the affected beaches warning people to cook caught shellfish.
Last year, the bacteria closed commercial shell fishing along Hood Canal, but McNickle said that has not happened here yet.
For now, the warning to cook shellfish suffices, but he said beaches could close in the future if the problem continues.
