BajaNomad

Clams, Scallops & Shellfish and the letter 'r'

TLBaja79 - 5-19-2014 at 08:37 PM

I have heard you do not eat clams, scallops or shellfish during any months without an 'r' (basically May through August)

Is this true?

I'm headed to Loreto in a couple weeks and obviously want to indulge in everything Loreto has to offer but if I'm gonna get sick....

shari - 5-19-2014 at 08:38 PM

we eat it year round so it seems the R rule doesnt apply here.

Ateo - 5-19-2014 at 08:50 PM

I heard the same thing on many surf trips back in the day. Never been sick eating mussels off the rocks - ever - and I feed them to mi ninos!!

What do I know? Am I poisoning my family? Not yet.

- On edit: I've learned why I heard the rumors. It happens! Doesn't sound like much in Baja. Algae blooms.

[Edited on 5-21-2014 by Ateo]

TLBaja79 - 5-19-2014 at 09:08 PM

Exactly, I too have always eaten them whenever I find them. But I'm scared crazy about eating bad shellfish. Good to know that others eat them throughout the year and you are also alive!

Cliffy - 5-19-2014 at 09:26 PM

It was and is a big deal on the California coast with the Red Tides. In those months the Red Tide shows up (a micro organizium) that puts poison into the shell fish as they are filter feeders.

Here's a couple of references that might interest you-

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/MusselQuarantineFAQ.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_tide

woody with a view - 5-20-2014 at 06:00 AM

it has to do with red tides.......

Marc - 5-20-2014 at 06:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
it has to do with red tides.......

Exactly

beachbum1A - 5-20-2014 at 06:25 AM

They acknowledge the same warning in New England. Don't think they have red tides in the Atlantic?

durrelllrobert - 5-20-2014 at 06:41 AM

Also it's illegal to take them at anytime of the year unless you are a Mexican national?????

drzura - 5-20-2014 at 08:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by durrelllrobert
Also it's illegal to take them at anytime of the year unless you are a Mexican national?????


That is very true and I think some people seem to "forget" that.... It will probably take one or two people getting a hefty fine or put in the slammer to get them to change that habit.

Ateo - 5-20-2014 at 08:22 AM

Mi esposa es Mexicana and she does the harvesting. :light:

Skipjack Joe - 5-20-2014 at 08:52 AM

On our california central coast we are warned even when there are no red tides.

The worst that can happen is some retching and diarrhea. Nothing really serious.

BooJumMan - 5-20-2014 at 08:52 AM

Well in the past 2 weeks I've had weird oyster experiences. A whole bag I bought from local fish market was all in "spawning mode" so they were all white and bubbly and gross. Then I had some from Canada at a restaurant and 2 of the 8 were definitely bad. I know thats just how it is with oysters, but darn!

dasubergeek - 5-20-2014 at 09:57 AM

As with all food in Mexico, buy from the places that are busiest, because they have the most to lose if they sell bad food. Doņa Sabina doesn't shut down La Guerrerense in the summer months, and I've eaten all kinds of shellfish there in July with no ill effects.

Cypress - 5-20-2014 at 09:59 AM

Yep, "spawning mode" oysters aren't choice, the months without "R's" are the spawning months.

woody with a view - 5-20-2014 at 09:59 AM

possibly, without an actual visible red tide (which means an organism is multiplying) think about most beaches in the US are polluted to some degree and may cause a spawn to micro nutrients more so than a warm water event (months with an R).

Baja doesn't have that issue unless you are harvesting clams around playas de TJ, Baja Malibu sewer outfall, Ensenada sewage strewn coastal waters, etc....

keep in mind I'm not a biologist but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

shari - 5-20-2014 at 10:00 AM

the laws apply to everyone gringos & mexicanos alike...usually it's OK to get some mussels to eat, just no lobster,clams or abs

sancho - 5-20-2014 at 10:34 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
the laws apply to everyone gringos & mexicanos alike...usually it's OK to get some mussels to eat, just no lobster,clams or abs







Technically mussels are in the crustacean family, which is
on the no take list, I assume these regs are to protect
the commercial fisherman. Saw that mussels are farmed
raised in Ensenada Bay. Back in the day, the popular fish
Cabrilla was on the no take list, not sure if mussels are
harvested commercailly in Baja or not

bajabuddha - 5-20-2014 at 12:11 PM

The "No 'R' Rule" is based on fact; the ocean is warmer during those months, and the bacteria that produces true 'red tide' can cause gastrointestinal distress, and can be a big deal if you ever get it. This doesn't mean all shellfish and bivalves are affected everywhere, but just a generality of possibility. So, it's a crapshoot if you do... and good for those who get lucky.

Also, anyone familiar with Baja waters knows that in the winter there is a 'red-tide' that comes and goes occasionally, and is bioluminescent; actually orange and sort of oily in nature; these are spawn from the half-beak and needlefish, and not to be confused with the actual Marea Roja that'll give you the Hershey Squirts. Summertime, very warm water, and shellfish generally don't mix. I for one just won't take the risk; not my idea of a good evening's fun.

Skipjack Joe - 5-20-2014 at 05:27 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
Quote:
Originally posted by shari
the laws apply to everyone gringos & mexicanos alike...usually it's OK to get some mussels to eat, just no lobster,clams or abs


Technically mussels are in the crustacean family, which is
on the no take list, I assume these regs are to protect
the commercial fisherman. Saw that mussels are farmed
raised in Ensenada Bay. Back in the day, the popular fish
Cabrilla was on the no take list, not sure if mussels are
harvested commercailly in Baja or not


Mussels are molluscs.

Well, except the ones at Venice Beach. Those are mutants.

alacran - 5-20-2014 at 05:31 PM

The month with the ¨R¨applies only to mussels. No other bivalves, and is due to the red tide.

bajabuddha - 5-20-2014 at 06:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by alacran
The month with the ¨R¨applies only to mussels. No other bivalves, and is due to the red tide.


No offense meant, but I call BS. All bivalves that filter for micro-food are susceptible to the bacteria of the red tide... clams, oysters, and the like.

treuboff - 5-20-2014 at 06:41 PM

If the Mexicans aren't em, neither am I

bajabuddha - 5-21-2014 at 07:34 AM

This, in today's news about a massive anchovy die-off in Laguna Del Rey Harbor north of Los Angeles:

Low oxygen levels were blamed for the die-off of millions of sardines discovered one morning in March 2011 at King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach, California. At the time, the Los Angeles Times reported that researchers found toxins in the dead fish that suggested a noxious algae bloom may have contributed to the mass kill. Algae blooms can consume massive amounts of oxygen in the water, creating dead zones. Some species of algae even produce neurotoxins that are deadly to people. For example, humans can die of paralytic shellfish poisoning if they eat shellfish that have fed on Alexandrium catenella, a type of algae responsible for so-called red tides.

some info for those not informed on red tides

tripledigitken - 5-21-2014 at 07:49 AM

https://www.oysterfarm.com/content/red_tide/

sancho - 5-21-2014 at 10:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe


Mussels are molluscs.








Gracias, I stand corrected