The redtide alert in two coastal areas in Mindanao is still up following the findings of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that all types of shellfish taken from these two bays were unsafe to eat.
In a red tide advisory dated Jan. 23, BFAR Director Asis Perez said that based on recent laboratory tests, the shellfish collected from Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental still contained “paralytic shellfish poison” beyond the regulatory limits.
The BFAR also continued the ban on the gathering and sale of shellfish in those areas.
“All types of shellfish, as well as the Acetes species or alamang, from those areas are not safe for human consumption,” said Perez.
But the BFAR said that fish, squid, shrimp and crabs were safe for human consumption provided they were fresh and washed thoroughly, and the internal organs such as gills and intestines were removed before cooking.