The public's being asked to avoid any shellfish from the Taranaki coast until further notice

New Zealand Food Safety's issued a warning not to collect or consume bivalve shellfish, pupu and Cook's turban - from Cape Egmont north to Albatross Point.

Recent tests on mussels from Pukea-ruhe detected unsafe levels of paralytic toxins.

Deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle says officials are monitoring an algal bloom in the region - that could be there for weeks or possibly months.

He says filter feeders like mussels accumulate the toxins from the algae - which becomes problematic for consumption.