Dungeness Crab Health Warning Lifted For More Of California

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Health officials say Dungeness crabs caught along a swath of California's coast no longer show high levels of a marine toxin and are safe to eat.

Public Health Officer Karen Smith on Thursday lifted a health advisory for the popular crustaceans that had been in effect from Pt. Reyes to Monterey County since mid-November. A similar warning was cancelled off the coasts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties on New Years' Eve.

The Dungeness crabbing seasons were delayed in California, Oregon and Washington last year after testing showed unhealthy levels of domoic acid, a toxin that can cause gastrointestinal illness.

The advisory remains in effect north of Pt. Reyes.

Rock crabs caught around the Channel Islands and near Piedras Blancas Light Station in San Luis Obisbo County remain subject to a health warning as well.