Red tide watch in Sorsogon Bay beefed up

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines – After the red tide ban in Sorsogon Bay was lifted on Monday by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), fishery officials here said they would set up more sampling areas to ensure the safety of the public against shellfish poisoning.

BFAR Sorsogon chief Gil Ramos admitted yesterday that the lifting of the ban on the harvest, selling and eating of shellfish hauled from Sorsogon Bay has actually forced them to increase by threefold the existing seven sampling stations to closely and effectively monitor the possible resurgence of the red tide microorganisms in the bay.

Ramos based his apprehension on what happened last year when BFAR re-imposed the red tide ban in March, but the bay waters were again found positive for red tide microorganisms in August.

“There is really an urgent need for us to set up more sampling stations and closely monitor the bay if only to make sure that the shellfish being harvested there remain to be safe from the deadly organisms,” Ramos told reporters.

He said they would strictly require shellfish vendors to first secure a quarantine clearance before they are allowed to transport the marine products.

Ramos attributed the sudden zero presence of red tide microorganisms to the thick ash from Mt. Bulusan that was deposited in Sorsogon Bay last month.

Ramos said he based this observation on several researches in other countries that red tide could be eliminated by putting mud into the bed of the contaminated bodies of water.

“In some countries, red tide-causing organisms are being trapped by pouring mud into the seabed. Of course, they only hibernate but do not die yet and could resurrect once disturbed by strong current or any other similar events,” Ramos said.

Shellfish gathering is a multimillion-peso industry in Sorsogon.

Meanwhile, authorities in Zamboanga del Sur cautioned consumers on shellfish harvested from Dumanquillas Bay, which they said is contaminated with red tide microorganisms.

Provincial agriculturist Mahleen Bersales informed Gov. Antonio Cerilles that this was the latest finding of the BFAR central office.

The BFAR, Bersales said, prohibits coastal residents in Zamboanga del Sur from “picking, eating and selling shellfish.”

Bersales said laboratory tests showed that shellfish harvested from the Dumanquillas Bay tested positive for “paralytic shellfish poison which is over the normal limit.”

According to BFAR, also found red tide-positive in Mindanao are Murcielago Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and adjacent Misamis Occidental, and Bislig Bay in Bislig City and Surigao del Sur. – With J. Antonio Rimando