Fish in 5 Cavite areas still unsafe to eat, says BFAR

CONTAINING THE DAMAGE A tugboat hired by Shogun Ships Co., owner of the MT Terranova joins the Philippine Coast Guard in its efforts to contain the spread of the oil leak from the sunken tanker in the waters of Limay, Bataan. —INQUIRER file photo / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — The fish caught in two cities and three towns in Cavite province remain unsafe to eat due to the oil spill caused by a sunken tanker in Bataan province last month, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a statement on Thursday.

BFAR Officer in Charge Isidro Velayo Jr. identified the affected areas as Bacoor City, Cavite City, and the towns of Noveleta, Rosario and Tanza.

However, the public can safely consume the fish caught in other areas in the province like Naic, Ternate, Kawit and Maragondon, Velayo said.

READ: Fish in Bataan town tasted like diesel after oil spill, senators told

This was after fish and other fishery species collected from Aug. 7 to Aug. 21 in these places passed three consecutive sensory evaluation tests.

In its previous bulletin on Aug. 13, the BFAR declared fish and seafood products from Metro Manila and the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga and Batangas fit for human consumption.

Sensory evaluation

“Fish in an area can be declared safe for human consumption if samples analyzed have already passed three consecutive batches of sensory evaluation,” Velayo said.

The samples from Bacoor City, Cavite City, Noveleta, Rosario and Tanza passed only two consecutive batches of tests.

The BFAR assured the public that it was continuing to monitor and assess potentially affected fishing areas and communities around Manila Bay even if the sinking of MT Terranova in Limay town, Bataan province, happened three weeks ago.

The agency said it would continue conducting fish sampling and sensory evaluation in potentially affected areas to detect any presence of oil and grease.