BFAD assure public fish still safe to eat

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has reassured the people that it is still safe to eat fish.

The agency made the assurance following reports that many people in Cebu now do not want to eat fish for fear of contamination due to the recent sinking of MV Princess of the Stars in the seawaters off Sibulan Island.

The ship was carrying more than 800 passengers and crew and less than 200 bodies were so far recovered. Some 50 passengers survived the tragedy while hundreds are still considered missing.

Because of the incident, BFAR central office earlier warned people in Romblon from eating fish because they could have become contaminated from the septic waste and other chemicals like endosulfan that might have spilled into the water.

The MV Princess of the Stars reportedly carried 10 metric tons of endosulfan with trade name “thiodan,” which many fear will have a very big impact on the marine environment once it spills.

“Wa man problema sa endosulfan kay di man maabot diri sa atoa. Wa man gani didto sa area how much more diri sa atoa,” said Allan Poquita, assistant director of BFAR-7.

Vince Cinches, executive director of the Fishermen Development Center, earlier said that they noticed that many fish vendors are complaining because of their low sale.

He said that several stall owners selling grilled fish had also stopped their operation because very few customers are buying from them.

Erwin Gok-ong, president of the Cebu Market Vendors Association, said he heard that many people here no longer want to eat fish because of fear that fishes could have fed off from bodies of passengers of the ill-fated ship.

He said there was a report that a consumer has found a ring from a fish’s belly raising suspicions that fishes have eaten human remains.

But Poquita said he has not heard of such reports, adding that everything is just “psychological” because the people themselves are the ones who shun from eating fish even if it is no proof of contamination yet.

“We assure the public that as of this time, wa gyud ta problema sa supply sa ato isda diri. Our central office, which conducted study in Romblon did not even find any sign of contamination there,” he stressed.

He said that they are continuously monitoring the fishes in the region and they would immediately advise the people if there are any contamination. — Wenna A. Berondo/LPM