If, however, contaminated shellfish is eaten raw, an individual may become ill from the bacteria or viruses. Note that cooking does not destroy the toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. Those waters that become polluted are closed to commercial shellfishing. Also, under this program, shellfish must be traceable to their source from the moment they are harvested from a bay, river, or estuary to when they end up in a restaurant or market. Each container of shellfish must have a tag or label approved by the appropriate state shellfish control agency that bears the information necessary to trace shellfish, both to a specific area and to a particular harvester.
Inspectors can then verify if the shellfish came from approved waters.
If the tags are missing, the shellfish are removed and destroyed. While the seafood industry has established an extensive monitoring program to protect consumers from contaminated shellfish, there are several precautionary measures that consumers themselves can take to avoid eating shellfish that contain harmful organisms. Precautions Obtain shellfish from approved sources. One way to ensure that shellfish come from a certified shipper is to buy them from a reliable seafood retail outlet or grocery store. Obey posted warnings when harvesting shellfish.