Foraging: Are all Shellfish Edible

Qew71

Qew71

Joined
Dec 4, 2000
Messages
169
ok... here's the other thread about the edibility (is there such a word?) of shellfish...

If stranded on a seaside type environment (estuary, river mouth, mangrove, Club Med) I'd expect that shell fish shouldn't be all that hard to find...

are there any dangers with regard to foraging shellfish for food? Are there certain species that are definite no-nos? Is there a proper way to clean them before eating them?* Apart from cooking them well, are there any other ways you could recommend to prepare them? Is eating them raw advisable? Thanx!

* I understand that mussels in the kitchen can be cleaned by standing them in water, with a little salt, and oat meal. The mussels will suck in the oatmeal and expel it along with any detritus... but I dn't carry oatmeal in my survival kit.
 
In this situation, to reduce the liklyhood of illness, you are better sticking to grazers (limpets and the like) as opposed to filter feeders like mussels.
 
Red tide (paralytic shellfish poisoning) can do you in. <a href="http://www.doh.wa.gov/Topics/Red_Tide.htm"> Check it out. </a>

Also, many people have shellfish allergies. I'd find out before foraging :-)

There's also ASP (amnesiac shellfish poison), and a whole host of nasty bacterial troubles you can run into.


Mussels accumulate toxins faster than other types of shellfish, and are a good indicator species. You might want to avoid them in a crunch. Butter clams store toxins longer than any other shellfish, so you might want to give them a miss too.

Enjoy.
 
so that's it? any other shellfish I can find are safe to eat? any comments on preparation?
 
You better read the material I pointed you at. PSP is nasty stuff, and can get you with clams, oysters, and many other critters.
 
Originally posted by bae
You better read the material I pointed you at. PSP is nasty stuff, and can get you with clams, oysters, and many other critters.
Click to expand...

ok...
 
And when in the tropics, Far East I think, remember that things like cone-shells have a highly toxic bite.

Guess that could fall under the category of things that happen while looking for shell fish. There are all sorts of critters that can cause injury that you might bump into while feeling about in rock pools.
 
claybomb..... care to provide some more info or point out a site where I could get some?

The tropics IS the environment that I'm thinking of, as that's the one most likely to affect me.
 
Originally posted by Qew71
claybomb..... care to provide some more info or point out a site where I could get some?

The tropics IS the environment that I'm thinking of, as that's the one most likely to affect me.
Click to expand...

This may not be appropriate then...but be weary of freashwater clams....I have eaten them, but I have since read that they can make you quite ill....
 
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