FDA Maine Lobster Warning

Whether you're eating it hassle-free or with a bib, seafood lovers will indulge in the succulent taste of lobster. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory due to contaminated tomalley in American Lobster which is also called Maine Lobster.

The green substance found inside lobster serves as the liver and pancreas known as tomalley. Tomalley is contaminated with high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). While cooking the lobster doesn't mean PSP toxins will be eliminated, the lobster meat itself remains unaffected. Maine lobsters are harvested from the Atlantic Ocean all the way from northeastern Canada to South Carolina.

The rise of PSP toxins in lobsters is a result of recurrent episodes of red tides. Red tides are caused by marine algae called Karenia brevis. While most algae are useful to the marine ecosystem, Karenia brevis, the microscopic algae, can grow fast in certain conditions. In high amounts, the algae blooms giving the ocean a reddish appearance called "red tide."

The color of Karenia brevis may give the waters a cool hue but the powerful toxin called brevetoxin it releases in mass quantities can be harmful. Brevetoxin kills millions of fish and marine life. And monitoring the movement of red tides is difficult because it spreads based on the direction of winds and tides.

Some of the symptoms people with Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning have experienced are tingling or numbness of the mouth, face or neck, muscle weakness, headache and nausea. However, in severe cases, when people consume excessive amounts of the toxin these symptoms usually precede respiratory failure and death. That's why it is important to get medical help immediately as PSP symptoms usually happen within two hours of eating contaminated shellfish.

The FDA discovered the problem while conducting a regulatory sampling in Maine and New Hampshire. Tomalley which usually does not contain toxic levels of the paralytic shellfish poison has now been found to contain high levels. At times clams and other shellfish are contaminated with PSP toxins. But for now Maine Lobsters have been targeted which translates into warnings for consumers up and down the east coast were the clawed crustaceans are harvested. The effect of red tides have also resulted in the closure of other shellfish beds in recent months due to elevated levels of the harmful algal bloom toxins.

So if you have a "stomach of steel" like Bizarre Foods host, Andrew Zimmerman or an exotic palate craving lobster pancreas and liver then beware because that gooey tomalley is packed with pesky toxins. Surprisingly, the Maine lobster's meat is still edible. As for me, I'll take a wait and see approach before I make that lobster and avocado salad.

Sources: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01866.html, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2008/07/dont-eat-the-lo.html, http://www.cdc.gov/hab/redtide/about.htm