Good news for lovers of Dungeness crab: California public health officials late Thursday afternoon lifted the health advisory linked to the crabs caught along the coast near Monterey, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco and Point Reyes.

State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith said recent tests show that traces of domoic acid have declined to low or undetectable levels in Dungeness crabs caught in those areas. The advisory was lifted from state waters in all areas south of Latitude 38 00” N, near Point Reyes.

However, as a precaution, Smith said consumers are advised to not eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs. The viscera usually contain much higher levels of domoic acid than crab body meat.

When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid may leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews, stocks, roux, dressings or dips.

Thursday”s partial lifting comes after the Dec. 31 announcement regarding Dungeness and rock crab caught between the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Line and Latitude 35 40” N (near Piedras Blancas Light Station, in San Luis Obispo County).

Because of continued elevated levels of domoic acid in crabs caught in those areas, the advisory remains in effect for Dungeness crab caught in state waters north of Latitude 38 00” N and for rock crabs caught in state waters around Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, the San Miguel Islands and areas north of Latitude 35 40” N (near Piedras Blancas Light Station, in San Luis Obispo County).

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness, and disappear within several days.

But in severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year”s domoic acid event.

Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict.

While the bloom that occurred earlier this year has dissipated, it takes a period of time for the organisms feeding on the phytoplankton to eliminate the domoic acid from their bodies.

State public health officials said they will continue to coordinate their efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the fishing community to collect crab samples from the central and northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated.