The Department of Maritime Fisheries announced on Monday the ban on the harvesting and marketing of shellfish from the Lakraâ shellfish zone, falling under the Boujdour region. This ban, until the environment is completely purified, comes following the results of analyses carried out by the National Institute for Fisheries Research (INRH) which indicate the presence of marine biotoxins in shellfish at abnormal levels in this zone, the ministry specified in a press release. The department recommends that consumers only purchase packaged products, bearing the sanitary identification labels and marketed in authorised points of sale (official markets). Shellfish sold by peddlers or in bulk offer no guarantee of safety and constitute a danger to public health, the press release warned.