In E. Samar Shellfish ban lifted

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources regional office here finally lifted the shellfish ban in Eastern Samar’s Matarinao Bay after about a year when its coastal water was contaminated with red tide toxins.

An advisory issued by BFAR national director Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr., said that, based on the results of red tide monitoring activities, shellfishes collected from Matarinao Bay are now negative from the red tide toxin.

“Negative results for paralytic shellfish poison were obtained from three consecutive weeks of sampling in the area,” Sarmiento said his advisory dated March 3, 2011, as he assured the public that shellfish harvested from Matarinao Bay are now safe for human consumption, and that gathering and harvesting, and marketing of shellfish from the area are now permitted.”

Even if the ban was already lifted, the official said BFAR is continuously monitoring the bay to safeguard public health and to protect the shellfish industry.

In a local shellfish bulletin, BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo said that all of the 11 bays in Eastern Visayas are now free from red tide toxins.

“All types of shellfish gathered from these areas are safe for human consumption. Fish, squid, shrimps, and crabs are safe for eating provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” the bulletin said.

Other than Matarinao Bay, the Carigara Bay and Cancabato Bay in Leyte were declared positive of red tide toxins last year. Shellfish ban was lifted in these areas earlier.

In Matarinao Bay, the shellfish ban took effect on March 16, 2010, prohibiting people to harvest, sell, buy and eat shellfish from that bay along the coastal towns of Salcedo, Quinapondan, McArthur, and Hernani in that province.

The presence of red tide toxins in the area caught the BFAR office by surprise because the seawater was pristine, the coastline was not heavily inhabited, and the bay has never been listed in the BFAR hotspot area. – (FREEMAN)