April 11, 2014 — The California Department of Public Health is advising consumers not to eat anchovies or sardines caught in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties due to dangerous levels of domoic acid that have been detected in the fish.
Consumers are also advised not to ingest the internal organs of crabs from Monterey and Santa Cruz counties due to domoic acid toxicity.
Domoic acid is a naturally occurring marine toxin that doesn't hurt marine animals but can be dangerous for humans.
In anchovies and sardines, the acid resides in the digestive tract, which presents a danger because the fish are typically not gutted before consumption.
Read the full story at The Berkeley Daily Planet