Goolwa Beach pipis (cockles) again ruled unsafe to eat after fresh toxin detection
Recreational fishers are once again being warned not to eat self-collected pipis from Goolwa Beach, after new testing detected brevetoxins at levels reaching the food safety limit.
The updated advice, issued on Thursday, reverses recent guidance that pipis collected between Middleton Point and the Murray Mouth were safe for human consumption after toxin levels had dropped.
Authorities now say pipis gathered from that stretch of Goolwa Beach must only be used for bait.
The South Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program says weekly testing found brevetoxin levels in pipi samples taken this week had risen back to the maximum safe consumption threshold.
Importantly, water testing at the same time showed no sign of Karenia algae in the area, meaning the harmful algal bloom itself has not returned to Goolwa Beach.
Experts say shellfish like pipis can continue retaining toxins even after blooms disappear, because they filter and accumulate residual brevetoxins left in the environment.
Commercially, harvested pipis from areas south of the Murray Mouth are not affected and remain safe to eat under existing food safety testing regimes.
Multilingual warning signs are now being installed to alert fishers that collected pipis must not be eaten.
The recreational pipi collection season remains open until the 31st of May.
For more information on SA Health advice for any recreationally collected shellfish, or the algal bloom, visit algalbloom or call the hotline on 1800 774 779.
For the latest advice on recreational fishing, see Closures or Fishing limits search, or download the SA Fishing app.
