SEREMBAN, The public is asked not to be afraid to buy and eat mussels from the Port Dickson waters following the decrease in biotoxins that have been confirmed to safe levels. Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the public need not worry because a study has been carried out for a period of six to eight months. "The ban on harvesting and selling mussels has been lifted thus indicating that it is safe to eat mussels in Port Dickson,' he said at the press conference after the weekly exco meeting here today. 'We hope that the rivers and sea are protected from pollution." Aminuddin said breeders and fishermen are encouraged to continue selling mussels to increase their income. Last Saturday, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup was reported to have said that the Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF) had lifted the ban on the harvesting and sale of shellfish including mussels in the waters of Port Dickson and Melaka following a drop in biotoxins to a safe level. As a result of laboratory monitoring and analysis, biotoxin readings showed a decrease to below 400 per billion (ppb) for the 15th sample. On April 4, DOF deputy director-general (management) Wan Aznan Abdullah said the results of laboratory analysis at the Kuala Lumpur Fisheries Biosecurity Centre found that there were harmful algae that caused the mussels in Port Dickson's waters to be contaminated and unsafe to eat. Meanwhile, Aminudddin said he had asked the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) as well as District and Land Office to resolve the flood issue involving several areas in Port Dickson. "I was also informed that there was a burst bund during the flooding due to heavy rain for four hours and the cleaning-up works started today in Lukut up to Sungai Bukit Palong. "The Public Works Department will also ensure that drainage is not blocked at the Lukut intersection which is one of the causes of flooding,' he said. "The work of deepening and upgrading the river needs to be done immediately to avoid flooding and making the area impassable for vehicles," he added. Source: BERNAMA News Agency