Seafood Safety
1. Commercial seafood found in restaurants an grocery stores is safe because it comes from red tide free water and is monitored by the government.
2. Recreational fisherman must be careful:
- Do not eat mollusks (clams or oysters) taken from Florida red tide waters, as they contain toxins that cause a food poisoning called Neurological Shellfish Poisoning (NSP).
- Finfish caught live can be eaten if filleted
- Shrimp and crabs are safe to eat
- Use common sense: harvesting distressed or dead animals is not advised under any circumstances. Edible part of other animals (like crustaceans) commonly called shellfish (crabs, shrimp, and lobsters) are not affected by the red tide organisms and can be eaten.