Shellfish ban up in 7 provinces

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has alerted consumers of another red tide contamination and advised them against eating shellfish for the time being.

Laboratory results from the BFAR and local government units showed the coastal waters of Milagros in Masbate; Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon; coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; Matarinao Bay in Zamboanga del Norte; Murcielagos Bay (Sapang Dalaga and Balingao) in Misamis Occidental; Balite Bay, Mati City, in Davao Oriental; and Lianga Bay in Surigao del Sur are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison beyond the regulatory limit.

The agency said all kinds of shellfish and krill-like prawns, or “alamang,” from an area under a red tide alert should not be harvested, sold, or eaten.

Red tide result from the explosive blooming of harmful algae that produce toxins harmful to people and other life forms that live in the water, according to the BFAR.

Such blooms turn the water red such that the phenomenon is popularly referred to as red tide.

Although red tide may be harmless, the bureau added that they can possibly cause human illnesses that can be debilitating or even fatal. —KARL R. OCAMPO