49 sacks of shellfish from Anda seized
AN attempt to smuggle into Dagupan another 49 sacks of contaminated shellfishes from red tide affected western Pangasinan was foiled by the police and City Agriculture Office (CAO) last April 8.
City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina said Alejandro Legaspi, owner of the contaminated shellfishes that originated from Awag, Anda, consisted of 47 sacks of mussels and two sacks of oyster, was in the van when the cargo was intercepted by the police in Barangay Caranglaan.
Legaspi could not present to the police and CAO personnel an auxiliary invoice showing where the shipment originated. The seized cargo was valued at P10,000.
Since it was his first offense, Legaspi was only fined P2,500 and his cargo confiscated, Molina said.
To date, the towns of Anda and Bolinao are the only coastal areas in the country where red tide alert is still up. Red tide alert in other coastal towns of the country were already lifted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Molina said the presence of tricycles near the site where the van was intercepted indicated that the contaminated shellfish was going to be delivered to towns outside Dagupan as well.
Meanwhile, Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), said the red tide episode in Anda and Bolinao may take longer because of the expected long dry summer.
Unfortunately, also affected by the stigma of red tide in western Pangasinan are the oyster producers and vendors in Dagupan.
Seriously affected are the daily oyster harvests that average of half ton.
For benefit of consumers in the city, Molina said Dagupan oysters are smaller but meatier than those from western Pangasinan. Their shells are softer and are blackish.
Those harvested in western Pangasinan have bigger shells, harder and whitish in color since they grow in sea water. (Leonardo Micua)
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