CDPH Lifts Warning About Consuming Internal Organs of Sport-Harvested Dungeness Crab from One Area of the Northern California Coast
January 26, 2026
SN26-005
What You Need to Know: CDPH has lifted its warning to not eat the internal organs (viscera) of sport-harvested Dungeness crab caught from one coastal area of Northern California. Domoic acid levels in the internal organs of Dungeness crab harvested from that area have declined to low or undetectable levels.
Sacramento – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has lifted the shellfish safety notification to not consume the internal organs of sport-harvested Dungeness Crab caught in state waters located at:
Laboratory analyses show that domoic acid levels in the internal organs of Dungeness crab harvested from the area identified above have declined to low or undetectable levels. CDPH has updated its Do Not Consume Internal Organs advisory dated January 9, 2026, where the public was warned to not consume the internal organs of sport-harvested Dungeness crab from the state waters mentioned above. Currently, there are no warnings for domoic acid in Dungeness crab viscera from this area, and there have been no reported illnesses associated with this event.
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 consumer may experience trouble breathing, confusion, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma, or death.
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.