PUERTO PRINCESA CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) announced in an advisory that Puerto Princesa City Bay is positive for Paralytic Shellfish Poison or “red tide” and it is sternly warning the public not to consume any shellfish taken from the area.
This after the “red tide” monitoring activities of BFAR and the Local Government Units (LGUs) confirmed, through the samples taken from the Puerto Princesa City Bay, that the toxin which at times could be lethal to humans, is back.
The Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin level in collected shellfish samples were 75.36 – 95.4 ugSTXeg/100g of shellfish meat.
The BFAR advisory, signed by Undersecretary Eduardo B. Gongona, advises the public to refrain from eating, gathering, or harvesting, transporting and marketing shellfish from Puerto Princesa City Bay until such time that shellfish toxicity level has gone down below the regulatory limit of 60 ugSTXeg/100g of shellfish meat.
BFAR, meanwhile, assured that fishes harvested from the said area are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and their internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.
The BFAR and LGUs are continuously monitoring Puerto Princesa City Bay to safeguard public health and to protect the fishery industry.
PSP is a marine toxin disease with both gastrointestinal and neurologic symptoms reported worldwide. It is caused predominantly by the consumption of contaminated shellfish.