China Bans Northwest U.S. Shellfish Imports Because of Contamination

Geoduck clams, oysters and other two-shelled bivalves harvested off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Northern California have been banned from import into China, because of a contamination problem. Chinese government inspectors discovered that some of the clams were tainted with arsenic and a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. U.S. officials are waiting for more information from China to determine the source of the contamination. The open-ended ban is seen as a major blow to the $270 million Northwest U.S. shellfish industry.