On Capiz seafood industry: Tanco allays fears of dire impact from red tide alert

CEBU, Philippines – The red tide alert is still raised in the coastal waters of Roxas City and Ivisan town in Capiz, but the provincial government had dispelled a possible vast impact of the red tide warning on the province’s seafood industry.

“This is just temporary,” and the effect is not really felt, Governor Victor Tanco said, in a text message to The Freeman, but he still advised Capizeños to “refrain from eating shellfish.”

Roxas City, which has earned the reputation as the “seafood capital” of the Philippines, has been known for its abundant catch of crabs, shrimps, prawns, and diwal (angel wing clams).

Based on the Local Shellfish Bulletin No. 01 Series of 2015 released on August 25, the latest laboratory red tide monitoring of the Capiz Agri-Aqua Laboratory of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist showed that the seawater and shellfish samples collected in the coastal waters of Roxas City and Ivisan are positive of Pyrodinium bahamense variety compressum.

Shellfish samples in Roxas City showed the parasitic shellfish poisoning (PSP) organism has toxicity level of 40-44 microgram per 100 gram shellfish sample, while in Ivisan town, the toxicity level was 50 microgram/100g.

These toxicity levels were close to the regularity limit (point when shellfish ban is declared) of 60 microgram/100g shellfish sample, according to the OPA findings.

Tanco directed the local government units of Roxas City and Capiz province to intensify monitoring and advise their people and visitors, especially the more vulnerable ones—children and old people—to refrain from eating all types of shellfish.

All other coastal LGUs, although not affected by the red tide, may also do the same precautionary measure, said the governor.

The Capiz Agri-Aqua Laboratory, with the help of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’s Central Office Laboratory, has been continuously monitoring the coastal waters of Roxas City and Ivisan.

“Monitoring is also intensified in all other coastal LGUs from the regular monthly sampling to twice a month,” said Tanco, adding that no red tide poisoning in Capiz has been reported so far.

Wikipedia said red tide is a phenomenon caused by algal blooms during which algae become so numerous that they discolor coastal waters (hence the name “red tide”). The algal bloom may also deplete oxygen in the waters and/or release toxins that may cause illness in humans and other animals.