No matter how tempted you may feel, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning seaside vacationers to endure not indulging in eating shellfish they have caught themselves after a case came of a family of four who were poisoned in New Brunswick.

The incident took place in a region of the Bay of Fundy, when the family picked their own mussels in a region closed to harvesting and later on developed illnesses associated with paralytic shellfish poisoning, which at times is called as red tide.

That kind of poisoning occurs when poisonous levels develop in plankton that is consumed by bivalve shellfish, which then makes the fish no longer safe to be eaten.

Bivalve shellfish comprises oysters, clams, scallops, and cockles, and can easily be harvested recreationally by picking or digging.

Poisoning can cause deadness of the lips, tongue, face, headache, dizziness and vomiting. In severe cases, it can result in finding it difficult to walk, causes muscle and respiratory paralysis and as well as death in certain cases.

The agency frequently keeps a check on toxin levels in shellfish, makes suggestions to close areas and posts warnings at access points. Once in a while the regions are also patrolled.