Public alerted on red tide-infested shellfish from Samar’s Irong-irong Bay

TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Eastern Visayas (BFAR-8) warned the public against eating shellfish collected from Irong-Irong Bay in Samar, which had been tested positive for red tide toxins.

The examination by the provincial marine biotoxin laboratory of BFAR-8 based in Catbalogan City found the water samples collected from Irong-Irong Bay positive of pyrodinium bahamense variety compressum, a toxic microorganism that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

“To safeguard human lives, while waiting for the result of confirmatory test of shellfish samples sent to BFAR Central Marine Biotoxin Laboratory in Manila, we are issuing a warning as a precautionary advice to the public to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfishes and Acetes sp. locally known as ‘alamang or hipon’ from the said areas to avoid possible shellfish poisoning,” BFAR said in its advisory. (Editor: Leti Boniol)