The Australian government has issued a public health alert over farmed mussels, following the detection of a paralytic shellfish toxin from the Spring Bay area on Tasmania's east coast, Australia.
Public Health director Roscoe Taylor said that mussels have been affected by the toxin, due to a naturally-occurring algal bloom and this has led to the closing of Spring Bay Seafoods' shellfish farm.
Following this alert, shellfish farms across Little Swanport, Georges Bay and Ansons Bay have also terminated the operations as a precaution, reported Fis.com.
No illnesses have been reported associated with mussels or other shellfish and high levels of paralytic shellfish toxins can be fatal in extreme cases and children are more susceptible than adults, said Taylor.
The farms at Great Oyster Bay and Great Swanport have also been closed.