Beware of red tide-infected shellfish, BFAR warns
AN official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) called on local government units to closely monitor the movement of shellfish in their respective markets to ensure that these did not come from red tide- affected areas.
Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR center chief, warned that affected shellfish contain deadly toxins.
BFAR’s Shellfish Advisory dated March 6, 2014 alerted that shellfish from Anda and Bolinao in western Pangasinan are now positive of paralytic shellfish poisoning or red tide toxin.
In Dagupan, two trucks loaded with 55 sacks of green mussels valued at some P15,000 that came from Anda town were intercepted morning of March 10 by a team from the city’s Red Tide Watch formed March 7 by Mayor Belen Fernandez.
Four women dealers of the shellfish identified as Milagros C. Ponce, Corazon Legaspi, Lucrecia T. Dela Cruz and Jing C. Celino, all from Barangay Awag, Anda were investigated by the police.
The four have been made to pay P2,500 penatly each after it was confirmed that the mussels were gathered from the coastal areas of Anda for vioilation of Section 73 of City Ordinance 1768-2003, specifically for their failure to secure auxiliary invoice from the municipal agriculture office of Anda before transporting the product, as well as the Philippine Fisheries Code.
The confiscated shellfish were later brought to the city’s dumpsite in Bonuan where these were burned.
FISH KILL
Meanwhile, Rosario also warned against fish kill which may result from red tide.
“Bangus do not die of red tide but due to red tide organisms that consume a lot of oxygen during decomposition,” Rosario said.
The first red tide incident in Pangasinan led to a massive fish kill, resulting in millions of losses to the bangus industry in Bolinao and Anda.–Tita Roces with report from CIO
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