{"id":862111,"date":"2026-06-01T13:30:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=862111"},"modified":"2026-06-01T13:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T11:32:17","slug":"south-africans-warned-not-to-eat-shellfish-from-this-small-coastal-town-in-the-western-cape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/862111\/south-africans-warned-not-to-eat-shellfish-from-this-small-coastal-town-in-the-western-cape\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africans warned not to eat shellfish from this small coastal town in the Western Cape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South Africans have been warned not to collect or eat shellfish from Saldanha Bay and nearby coastal areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) detected dangerously high levels of toxins in local mussels and oysters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DFFE issued the alert<\/a> following routine monitoring that revealed a significant harmful algal bloom in the area, raising concerns about the safety of shellfish harvested from the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, the department said tests conducted on 25 May 2026 found extremely high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST) in mussels and oysters from aquaculture farms in Saldanha Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRecent monitoring undertaken on 25 May 2026 has detected very high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins (PST) in mussels and oysters in the Saldanha Bay farms, with toxin levels recorded at more than 15 times the regulatory safety limit,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials also detected elevated concentrations of Alexandrium catenella, a toxin-producing phytoplankton species commonly associated with harmful algal blooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHigh concentrations of toxin-producing phytoplankton (Alexandrium catenella) have also been recorded, indicating a significant harmful algal bloom,\u201d the department added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a precautionary measure, shellfish production areas in Saldanha Bay have been closed for harvesting intended for human consumption until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities warned that consuming contaminated shellfish, particularly mussels, can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, a severe illness that affects the nervous system and can be fatal in serious cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DFFE stressed that it remains unclear how far the contamination extends along the West Coast and that toxin concentrations may vary between different locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt this stage, it is not clear how widespread this risk is along the West Coast, and toxin levels may vary across different areas,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The department has therefore urged members of the public to avoid collecting or eating any wild shellfish from Saldanha Bay and surrounding coastal areas until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top coastal town for mussel and oyster harvesting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Located roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Cape Town, Saldanha Bay is South Africa\u2019s largest and deepest natural harbour and a key centre for the country\u2019s fishing and aquaculture industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bay\u2019s nutrient-rich waters, fed by the Benguela Current, have made it one of the country\u2019s most important marine farming regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The government has designated an 884-hectare aquaculture zone to support the cultivation of shellfish and other marine species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saldanha Bay is responsible for producing most of South Africa\u2019s commercially farmed Mediterranean mussels and is also one of only four major sites used for Pacific oyster cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The industry plays a significant role in supporting local food security, employment and economic activity in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area is also home to major fishing operations and processing facilities, including those run by Sea Harvest Group, one of the country\u2019s largest seafood producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Saldanha Bay harbour \u2013 Photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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South Africans have been warned not to collect or eat shellfish from West Coast areas in the Western Cape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":862118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[25521,23939,25520,853],"class_list":["post-862111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-department-of-forestry-fisheries-and-the-environment","tag-saldanha-bay","tag-shellfish","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862111"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":862123,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862111\/revisions\/862123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}