The presence of domoic acid in aquatic species was reported for the first time in the United States in the late summer of 1991 in Monterey Bay, California. By October of 1991, domoic acid was found in razor clams (Siliqua patula) and in the viscera of Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) along the coasts of Washington and Oregon. In response to this outbreak, the National Marine Fisheries Service, in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Fisheries began analysis of Washington State razor clams for the period from November 1991 to June 1993. This survey indicated that domoic acid levels in the edible portion of the razor clams peaked in December of 1991 (average of all Washington state coastal sites: 106 ppm) and followed a slow decline to the present day low levels (< 5 ppm). Sixteen months after the maximum level, domoic acid has not completely disappeared from the razor clams from the Washington State beaches. Unlike mussels (Mytilus edulis), where the toxin is found only in the viscera, domoic acid distributes itself throughout the various body parts of the razor clam. The highest concentration occurs in the foot or "digger" and the lowest in the siphon or "neck." The concentration of domoic acid in the razor clam foot reached a high of 230 ppm.

Domoic acid (DA) is a neurotoxin that is naturally produced by phytoplankton and accumulates in seafood during harmful algal blooms. As the prevalence of DA increases in the marine environment, there is a critical need to identify seafood consumers at risk of DA poisoning. DA exposure was estimated in recreational razor clam (Siliqua patula) harvesters to determine if exposures above current regulatory guidelines occur and/or if harvesters are chronically exposed to low levels of DA. Human consumption rates of razor clams were determined by distributing 1,523 surveys to recreational razor clam harvesters in spring 2015 and winter 2016, in Washington, USA. These consumption rate data were combined with DA measurements in razor clams, collected by a state monitoring program, to estimate human DA exposure. Approximately seven percent of total acute exposures calculated (including the same individuals at different times) exceeded the current regulatory reference dose (0.075 mg DA· kg bodyweight−1 · d−1) due to higher than previously reported consumption rates, lower body weights, and/or by consumption of clams at the upper range of legal DA levels (maximum 20 mg · kg−1 wet weight for whole tissue). Three percent of survey respondents were potentially at risk of chronic DA exposure by consuming a minimum of 15 clams per month for at 12 consecutive months. These insights into DA consumption will provide an additional tool for razor clam fishery management.

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