Red Tide Threatens Shellfish

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The worst red tide in years has shut down shellfish beds in much of Puget Sound and prompted serious public health worries, state officials said Thursday.

Expanded beach closures have not reached the heart of Washington state’s large farmed shellfish industry, and the state said commercial shellfish on the market have been tested and should be safe to eat. But industry officials worried that more bad news could further damage businesses already reeling from a separate bacterial outbreak.

The state Health Department said the new round of beach closures means virtually the entire shoreline from Everett south to almost Olympia is off-limits for shellfish harvesting.

The eastern Kitsap Peninsula also has been affected, along with areas near Port Gamble, Port Ludlow and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, said Frank Cox of the Health Department.