The 2013 scallop season opens today despite a shellfish ban remaining in the Bay of Plenty.

A shellfish ban remains as the 2013 scallop season opens.

The scallop season gets underway today but people gathering the seafood delicacy from Bay of Plenty waters remain at risk of paralytic shellfish toxin poisoning.

A ban against the collection of shellfish from Tairua on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, south to Waihi Beach and along the Bay of Plenty coast to Whakatane Heads in the Eastern Bay of Plenty was issued on October 5, 2012.

The warning remains in place and includes the Tairua Harbour as well as the Tauranga Harbour, Maketu and Waihi estuaries, Matakana and Motiti Islands, and all other islands along the coastline.

Tauranga Coastguard operations manager Simon Barker says he has not being updated by Ministry of Primary Industries in months but believes the ban is still in place.

"That would imply that it (the ban) is still in place."

The total number of paralytic shellfish poisoning cases in the Bay of Plenty reached 29 since mid-December last year.

The health warning applies to all bi-valve shellfish including mussels, pipi, tuatua, cockles, oysters, scallops as well as cat's eyes, snails and kina (sea urchin). Shellfish in the affected area should not be taken or eaten.

Shellfish containing toxic levels of paralytic shellfish poison don't look or taste any different from shellfish that are safe to eat. Cooking or freezing the shellfish does not remove the toxin – which comes from the algae shellfish feed on in the ocean.

Paua, crayfish and crabs can still be taken but as always, the gut should be removed before consuming.

Consumption of shellfish affected by the paralytic shellfish toxin can cause numbness and tingling around the mouth, face, hands and feet; difficulty swallowing or breathing; dizziness; double vision; and in severe cases, paralysis and respiratory failure. These symptoms can start as soon as 1-2 hours after eating toxic shellfish and usually within 12 hours.

Anyone suffering illness after eating shellfish should seek urgent medical attention.