Contaminated oysters and clams sold at three Bellingham locations (the downtown Community Food Co-op, Keenan’s at the Pier and Rock & Rye Oyster House) between March 22 and April 9 were recalled by the FDA and the Washington State Department of Health on April 10. Five confirmed cases of norovirus-like illness linked directly to the shellfish were reported in Whatcom County.
Consumption of raw shellfish is a leading cause of foodborne norovirus outbreaks. November to April is the peak season for raw shellfish contamination, according to the CDC. Over 1000 outbreaks were reported in the 2025-26 season.
Risk of infection in the Pacific Northwest is still significant outside of that window due to cold-water temperatures year-round. The virus’s durability makes it infectious even in freezing temperatures. It is a highly infectious disease that can spread easily through direct contact with infected people or surfaces.
Risk of infection exists even when eating commercially harvested shellfish that passed safety inspection. According to John Doyle, the public information officer at the Washington DOH, Washington has rigorous safety screening for its shellfish but it isn’t enough to eliminate the risk.
The state’s DOH closed a small portion of Hammersley Inlet after a contaminated batch of shellstock harvested by Gomez Shellfish LLC in late March to early April was distributed to businesses in California, Oregon, Texas and Washington. A recall was issued and Whatcom County Health and Community Services confirmed on April 16 that every business linked to the outbreak had removed the contaminated stock from their shelves.
The DOH evaluated the growing site’s environment, including nearby septic systems, wastewater treatment infrastructure and water quality. No definitive source of the norovirus contamination was confirmed, according to Doyle. The emergency closure of the portion of Hammersley Inlet was lifted on April 30 and commercial harvesting on the site has resumed.
“At this time, no additional shellfish-associated illnesses linked to this growing area have been reported beyond the initial cases,” Doyle wrote in an email.
Oysters and clams are extremely efficient carriers of norovirus, according to Steve Bennett, a professor of human health at Western Washington University. They are filter feeders that can ingest bacteria present in the water, leading to contamination. Common purification processes in commercial handling can kill most pathogens within a few days, but norovirus can survive these processes.
Bennett explained that norovirus is a human pathogen, meaning it is a disease that originates within humans. When the virus is present in filter-feeding organisms, it means they are filtering human waste.
“It’s a sign of human fecal infection within the water,” Bennett said.
Many harvesting sites are positioned in inshore environments that may be exposed to significant amounts of human waste, according to a study from the American Society for Microbiology. This exposure is commonly linked to septic tank overflows, storm runoff and ships improperly dumping waste.
According to Bennett, a person only needs to come into contact with as few as ten particles of the virus to become ill. Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting and fever. These symptoms arrive within 12 to 48 hours after exposure.
“People with norovirus tend to get acutely ill. So, it's a pretty quick onset and then you are really sick for about 24 to 48 hours,” Bennett said.
Brittani Bondar, a lifelong Bellingham resident and registered nurse, contracted norovirus in 2021 after it spread around her daughter’s daycare.
“I knew it was noro(virus) because I could see the rate that it was spreading was so fast,” Bondar said.
The virus hospitalized her overnight with a gastrointestinal bleed that likely was a side effect of the intense dehydration and inflammation within the GI tract, she said. Within the first few days of being sick, she became so exhausted that she could barely move.
“I knew I needed to seek medical care prior (to) when I did,” Bondar said.
She said she delayed getting help since she was infected during the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning she had nobody to watch her daughter if she was taken to the emergency room. Bondar had to take a week off from school during her pre-requisites for nursing school to recover, which created significant anxiety around falling behind and losing financial aid, she said.
While the virus leaves the body quickly, this disease can be especially dangerous for children, older adults and immunocompromised people due to the risk of dehydration. Since food infected with norovirus can look, smell and taste normal, vulnerable groups and people close to them should exercise year-round caution when considering eating raw shellfish.
“Just realize that when you eat oysters, you’re rolling the dice every time,” Bennett said.
Atlanta Moss (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front this spring. She transferred to Western this year and is excited to jump in as a third-year news/editorial journalism major. She can usually be found at the movies, the bowling alley or the Viking Union cafe. You can reach her at atlantamoss.thefront@gmail.com.
