Want to get into clamming because clams are delicious and liscense is cheap. Problem is they say that you shouldn't eat them during the summer due to algae blooms or some shit making them toxic that can cause temporary paralysis when you eat them.

Is this a real issue or just overblown? My state has a map of what areas are safe and some areas are only open during the winter while others are all year round. Does it mean the latter aren't dangerous to eat? It would suck if I paid for everything only to not be able to do it for half the year in the best weather.