Shellfish are considered a delicacy by many consumers. In NZ, as in many overseas countries, there is a now thriv¬ing shellfish industry servicing both domestic and inter-national markets. Periodically shellfish accumulate harm¬ful levels of a variety of algal toxins, including domoic acid, yessotoxins, pectenotoxins and brevetoxins. When this occurs, regulatory authorities may impose harvesting closures which have a consequential economic impact on both farmers and staff employed to harvest and market shellfish products.