Domoic Acid and Clams: New potential Health Risks in the Traditional Lummi Tribal Diet

In 1987, mussels harvested in Canada caused more than 150 people to become ill and three elderly patients to die in the first known cases of amnesiac shellfish poisoning. Amnesiac shellfish poisoning is caused by domoic acid (DA), which pseudo-nitzchia spp. sometimes produce. Many Lummi Tribal members consume shellfish on a regular basis. Lummi revere the Clam People in creation stories. I have chosen to study DA and clams as a means to better understand acute and chronic health risks associated with clams. During the spring and summer 2012, I collected clams from locations where Lummi tribal members may harvest clams for subsistence use. Lummi tribal members frequently harvest a variety of species, so I chose to test a variety of clam species for DA. No DA was found in samples collected.