People hoping to gather mussels and scallops on the South Coast will have to wait until the Oregon Department of Agriculture ends a harvesting closure.

The ODA put a closure into effect Thursday for recreational mussel harvesting from the California border north to, and including, Bastendorff Beach, due to elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning. The ban is for mussels on all beaches, rocks, jetties and at the entrances to bays, a press release said.

Coastal scallops also are included in the closure. Only the adductor muscle should be eaten from scallops harvested on the coast. Crabs are not impacted by this level of toxin and are safe to eat, the press release said.

Shellfish toxins are produced by algae and usually originate in the ocean. Shellfish contaminated with the toxin can cause minor to severe illness or possibly death. Symptoms usually begin with tingling of the mouth and tongue. Severe poisoning can lead to dizziness, numbness and tingling in extremities, paralysis of arms, legs and muscles used for breathing.

The ODA will continue to test for shellfish toxins weekly as tides permit. The agency will not re-open an area until there are two consecutive tests within the safe range.

For more information, call the ODA shellfish safety information hotline at (800) 448-2474; the Food Safety Division at (503) 986-4720; or visit the ODA shellfish closure Web page at http://oregon.gov/ODA/FSD/shellfish_status.shtml.