The city government of Puero Princesa warned the public against eating shellfish collected within Puerto Princesa Bay since the area remains to be positive with paralytic shellfish poison or Red Tide.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), through its Shellfish Bulletin No. 14 issued on August 9, 2019 by Eduardo B. Gongona, Undersecretary for Fisheries of the Department and Agriculture (DA) and the director of the BFAR, cautioned the public.
Other areas found positive with Red Tide includes Western Samar, Surigao del Sur, and Tagbilaran City in Bohol.
Joven Delgado, aquaculturist of the City Agriculture Office, warned that the shellfish coming from at least 17 barangays are not safe for human consumption.
“Katubigang dagat na nasasakupan ng mga barangay ng Bancao-Bancao, Bagong Sikat, Bagong Silang, Pagkakaisa, Liwanag, San Isidro, Princesa, Matahimik, Mandaragat, San Pedro West Coast (Abanico Area), Sta.Monica, Sicsican, Irawan Iwahig, Sta. Lucia, Luzviminda at Mangingisda po ay positive pa rin sa Paralytic Shellfish Poison dala ng Red Tide organism,” he said.
The shellfish bulletin issued by BFAR is based on the laboratory results and this will only be lifted once the result of samples of shellfish gathered from the area yields negative. As of the present, the Red Tide warning is still not yet lifted by the BFAR.
“Kaya po ang pagkain ng anumang uri ng shellfish (panginhasin) at alamang mula sa Puerto Princesa Bay ay mahigpit na ipinagbabawal,” he said.
An information from Romeo Buenavista said that the death of a mother and her months-old baby, who are his neighbors in Barangay Mandaragat this week, was suspected to be due to the ingestion of shellfish collected within Red Tide affected areas. The victim’s family suspected that it was due to the shellfish that the mother ate but this incident is still not verified and still is being investigated by the authorities.
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