Contacts:

Kirsten Macintyre, Department of Fish and Game, 916-804-1714
Sam Delson, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, 916-764-0955

Fishing Closures Lifted for Most of Alameda Shoreline Only One Beach Remains Closed to Harvesting

State officials today lifted fishing and shellfish harvesting closures for most of Alameda County's shoreline. The only restrictions remain at Crown Memorial State Beach, where mussel and shellfish harvesting remain closed.

The closures were imposed on Oct. 30, the same day as the Dubai Star oil spill on San Francisco Bay. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG), in consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), re-opened all but one of the closed areas after testing found no ongoing risk of adverse health effects from the oil spill.

With the exception of Crown Memorial State Beach, today's decision reopens fishing and shellfish take on the Alameda County shoreline along San Francisco Bay from Alameda Point (at the northwest corner of Alameda Naval Air station) to the southern boundary of the Oakland airport.

Tests following the oil spill found that mussels at Ballena Bay Marina were unfit for consumption due to another source of contamination unrelated to the Dubai Star oil spill. The public is therefore advised to avoid harvesting and consuming mussels from the bayside shoreline on the west and south sides of Ballena Boulevard until further notice. OEHHA is coordinating with other public health officials to conduct further investigations at this location.

OEHHA is the science arm of the California Environmental Protection Agency and works with DFG and other agencies to conduct seafood safety evaluations.