Swarm of worms on Ilocos shoreline ‘no cause for alarm’

SAN FERNANDO CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Ilocos Region has assured the public that the swarming of worms on beaches was “no cause for alarm” since this was a “natural phenomenon.” Residents of Cabugao town in Ilocos Sur province reported seeing worms washed up along the shoreline around 7 p.m. on March 30. But the worms, about 10-inch long, were polychaetes or bristle worms, which naturally inhabit sand or mudflats and mangrove areas, said Rosario Segundina Gaerlan, officer in charge of BFAR in Ilocos. “What could have occurred that night was mass spawning or swarming of polychaetes,” she said on Thursday. The polychaetes are natural food of crabs and other crustaceans, she added. —YOLANDA SOTELO