BFAR: Shellfish program insulated from red tide
THE BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) assured that the emergence of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), or red tide, in some coastal waters in western Pangasinan and other parts of the country will not affect the national shellfish research program.
Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), a research facility of BFAR in Dagupan, gave his assurance that the research activities lined up by his office this year will continue in spite of presence of red tide.
Rosario said the research program on shellfish involves profiling of areas that grow shellfish in moderate scale and the backyard type all over the country.
The research aims to discover modern culture technology in raising oysters, mussels, scallops and other bivalves so that these can be raised in commercial scale and make the country an exporter in shellfish.
HAB was first noted in the coastal waters of Wawa, Bani in late January.
By the second week of February, it has spread to the island town of Anda as well as in Bolinao, all in western Pangasinan.
Rosario, who was in Anda last weekend, noted that the susceptibility of shellfish to HAB is not as serious as in Cavite, Bataan and Masinloc in Zambales.
He warned, however, the situation in Bani, Anda and Bolinao is expected to recur.
He said fish farmers need only to know when HAB is expected to hit so they can time their harvest.
Meanwhile, Rosario urged all local government units to control and monitor the harvest and collection of shellfish at source once HAB is detected to avoid health threats to the public.
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