Pangasinan waters now free from red tide poison

By Christian D. Supnad

BOLINAO, Pangasinan - The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has lifted the ban on gathering and eating of shellfish after Fisheries officials found out waters here were free from paralytic shellfish poison.

         

Remedios Ongtanco, officer in charge of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources here, said that based on results monitoring activities of the BFAR and Provincial Agriculturist,  shellfish collected from Bataan coastal waters of Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos and Bani towns, are now free of red tide toxin.

She said also free from red tide poison were waters off  Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Orani, Abucay and Samal towns in Bataan.

 “Negative results for paralytic dhellfish poison were obtained from three consecutive weeks of sampling in the area,” said Ongtanco.

Shellfish harvested from the coastal waters of Bataan were reportedly now safe for human consumption and that gathering, marketing and harvesting  of shellfishes from the said areas are now permitted.

This was the longest ban on fishing due to red tide since it took several months earning the ire of fishermen in the province.

 Fishermen and consumers had blamed the media for spreading news of red tide poison.

  

The BFAR did not state how the red tide poison ceased but some said this was a yearly problem along the coastal areas that no one could explain.