CDPH Lifts Warning Against Consuming Commercial and Sport-Harvested Pacific Sardines from Southern California Waters
June 13, 2025
SN25-013ā
What You Nāeed to Know: CDPH has lifted a previous warning about Pacific sardines harvested from Southern California waters. Recent laboratory results show domoic acid in Pacific sardines from these waters have declined to safe levels.
SACRAMENTO ā The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has lifted the shellfish and seafood safety notification advising consumers not to eat commercial and sport-harvested Pacific sardines caught from waters between:
- Point Conception (34Ā° 27' N. Lat.) aānd the California/Mexico border (Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties)
Recent laboratory analyses show that domoic acid levels in the body and the internal organs of Pacific sardines harvested from Southern California Waters have declined to low or undetectable levels. CDPH has lifted its Commercial and Sport-Harvested Pacific Sardines Advisory dated May 13, 2025, where the public was warned to not consume any commercial and sport-harvested Pacific sardines. Currently, there are no warnings for domoic acid in Pacific sardines from the above areas, and there have been no reported illnesses associated with this event.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days. In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory, coma, or death.
CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the fishing community to collect and test fish samples from the impacted areas until domoic acid levels have cleared.
Test results are updated as laboratory results become available and can be viewed on the CDPH Domoic Acid webpage. Please visit CDPHāāās Domoic Acid FAQ for more information. To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPHāās toll-free āShellfish Information Lineāā at (800) 553-4133.