The FDA is warning restaurants and retailers that Seaview Fisheries Oysters may be unsafe because they were illegally harvested in Connecticut. The oysters were sold in these states: Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Texas. On November 17, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Aquaculture, told the FDA about these illegally harvested oysters.
The oysters are labeled as lots L466B and 466A. They were illegally harvested from the Milford Approved Area in Connecticut on November 12, 2023 and November 15, 2023. If you have any of these oysters, or took some home from a restaurant, discard them.
The oysters can be identified by the dealer tag with the original shipper. The tag reads Seaview Fisheries LLC, CT-084-SS, AQ. The oysters were originally distributed to a distributor in Rhode Island, where they were sold to restaurants and retailers in the states named above. And they may have been distributed further from these states.
Illegally harvested oysters may be contaminated with toxic chemicals, poisonous substances, or human pathogens. Oysters are filter feeders, which means they remove and bioaccumulate bacteria, toxins, and other pathogens from the water. Then when the oysters are eaten raw, they can cause serious illness. Contaminated oysters will look, smell, and taste normal, and the texture is not affected.
Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell these Seaview Fisheries Oysters, and consumers should not eat them. After the oysters are discarded, clean any surfaces, containers, or utensils that came into contact with the oysters. Clean and sanitize any bulk containers that may have held the oysters. Then wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Any consumers who ate these oysters and may have gotten sick should see their doctor. Then contact the FDA’s Consumer Complaint Coordinator, or fill out a complaint form with the FDA’s Medwatch system.
