Samar: The coastal waters of Zumarraga Island in Samar have been cleared from toxic red tide, but the condition persists in four bays in Eastern Visayas, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has reported.
According to Philippines News Agency, after water samples turned negative for red tide for weeks, the seawater of Zumarraga Island is no longer included in both local and national shellfish bulletins. However, four other bays remain listed as red tide affected areas, with one included in the latest national shellfish bulletin, while three others fall under local bulletins.
An area is added to the national shellfish bulletin if both shellfish and seawater samples test positive for the toxic organism. Currently, Matarinao Bay, encompassing the towns of General MacArthur, Quinapondan, Hernani, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar province, is under the shellfish ban.
Seawater from three other bays in Samar was found to contain Pyrodinium bahamense, a dinoflagellate responsible for red tide toxins. These areas include the coastal waters of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City, and Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan City.
'To safeguard human lives, we are issuing this warning as precautionary advice to the public to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfish and Acetes sp., locally known as alamang or hipon, from these bays,' BFAR stated in its local shellfish bulletin. The bureau clarified that fish, squid, shrimp, and crabs are safe for consumption if they are fresh, washed thoroughly, and the internal organs, such as gills and intestines, are removed before cooking.
The fisheries bureau warned that the seawater condition can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning and death. Three bays are included in the latest national shellfish bulletin, with one located in Eastern Visayas. The other two are Dumanquilas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and the coastal waters of Tantanang Bay in Zamboanga Sibugay.
The BFAR explained that the presence of red tide cysts in the region's bays triggered the recurrence of the phenomenon. Frequent rains may cause runoff of soil sediments rich in organic load that fertilizes the cyst of red tide.
