Red tide alert raised in two Pangasinan towns

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines — Red tide toxins have been detected in the waters off the towns of Bolinao and Anda in Pangasinan, triggering alerts against the gathering, sale and consumption of all types of shellfish such as oysters, mussels and “alamang” (acetes shrimps) in these coastal communities, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said on Saturday.

As filter feeders, shellfish absorb the toxins generated by red tide, or the high concentration of algal bloom. When eaten, their toxins can cause numbing of the mouth, dizziness, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

Harmful algal bloom has multiplied rapidly in these towns because of nutrients from their fish cages and fish pens, as well as the intense summer heat, said Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center here. —Reports from Yolanda Sotelo and Gabriel Cardinoza