The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) recently issued with the latest Shellfish Bulletin banning the gathering, selling and consumption of shellfish in 21 areas in the country including the bays in Puerto Princesa and Honda Bay, due to Red Tide toxins.
The Shellfish Bulletin No. 28 series of 2020 was issued on Monday, December 14, 2020.
Aside from the two bays in Puerto Princesa City, 19 other bays and coastal areas in the provinces of Bataan, Masbate, Sorsogon, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Western Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Davao Oriental, Surigao del Sur, and Zamboanga del Sur are included in the list.
Malampaya Sound in Taytay Palawan, which was previously included in the shellfish ban is now free of the toxic red tide, the bulletin said.
The Shellfish Bulletin advised the public not to harvest, sell, buy and eat shellfishes in the identified areas found to be positive of paralytic shellfish poison or red tide.
“All types of shellfish and Acetes species or alamang gathered from the areas are not safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and wash thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” Undersecretary for Fisheries and Director of BFAR, Commodore Eduardo B. Gongona said in the statement.
Aquaculturist Joven Delgado of the City Agriculture’s Office of the City Government of Puerto Princesa said that the red tide is caused by organisms called dinoflagellates that multiply in the seawater, which is now called as Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).
He said that this small organism called dinoflagellates can only be seen through a microscope. It is similar to a plant which will bloom if there are plenty of nutrients. He said that after a long dry season which was followed by rains five months ago, or last July, there are surface water runoff from the upland that drains towards our water bodies, particularly in the seawater.
Other factors that contribute to the increase of the population of the organism are low salinity of seawater and high surface temperature of seawater and dirty water that is drained towards the sea.