Green-lipped mussel. Photo: NIWA/Rebekah Parsons-King
A warning has been issued after unsafe levels of paralytic shellfish toxins were found in Pania Reef.
The toxins were discovered in mussels in the Hawke's Bay reef near Napier during routine testing.
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) has advised the public not to collect or consume shellfish gathered in the area.
The warning extends from Cape Kidnappers to the north of Mohaka River.
Deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle told Morning Report the presence of the toxins was a naturally occurring event.
Arbuckle said the toxins were incredibly dangerous if consumed. Symptoms ranged from numbness and tingling to nausea, diarrhoea and at worst, paralysis, respiratory failure and death.
Cooking the shellfish will not remove the toxin.
"We will continue to undergo active regular testing until we get a clear measure that the water and the flesh of the mussels is clear of the toxins, and then the warning will be removed," Arbuckle said.
NZFS carried out regular fortnightly testing of shellfish across the country. So far there had been no notifications of associated illness.
Warnings were also in place for shellfish collected in Marlborough Sounds and Tolaga Bay, Arbuckle said.
