Contaminated shellfish found in Homer harbor

The State Department of Health and Social Services is warning residents to exercise caution when collecting shellfish in Homer harbor.
Recent tests have shown elevated saxitoxin levels in blue mussels.
Catherine Bursch, the harmful species program coordinator at Kachemak Bay Research Reserve, samples blue mussels every two weeks in Homer harbor to monitor for toxins.
“We did pick up over the regulatory limit of toxins in the shellfish that we sample regularly from the Homer harbor,&rd