CDPH Warns Consumers Not to Eat Internal Organs of Sport-Harvested Dungeness Crab from one area of the Northern California Coast
October 24, 2025
SN25-026
What You Need to Know: CDPH warns consumers not to eat internal organs of sport-harvested Dungeness crab one area of the Northern California coast due to dangerous levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring biotoxin that is harmful to humans.
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning the public not to eat the internal organs (viscera) of Dungeness crab caught from caught from one coastal area of Northern California.
The recreational Dungeness crab season for California anglers begins on Saturday, November 1, 2025. This warning is in effect for Dungeness crab harvested from the following area:
- Sonoma/Mendocino County line (38° 46.125' N. Latitude) to Point Reyes (37⁰ 59.3' N. Latitude)
Dangerous levels of domoic acid, which can cause Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, have been detected in the meat and viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught from coastal areas of northern California. Domoic acid is a naturally occurring biotoxin. Cooking the crab does not decrease or destroy the toxin.
Consumers are advised to always discard the viscera and cooking liquids and adhere to the following best preparation practices to avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that may be sporadically found in the crab’s viscera. It is always best to remove the viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, i.e., boil, steam, or fry. If whole crab are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach into the broth. The cooking water or broth should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broth, soups, or stews (cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings, or dips.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma, or death.
CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the fishing community to collect and test crab samples from the impacted areas until domoic acid levels have dissipated. Please contact CDFW for information about the recreational Dungeness crab season.
Test results are updated as laboratory results become available and can be viewed on the
CDPH Domoic Acid webpage. Please visit
CDPH’s Domoic Acid FAQ for more information. To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free “Shellfish Information Line” at (800) 553-4133.