• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 7 has lifted the local red tide warning on all types of shellfish and alamang harvested from Tambobo and Siit bays in Siaton, and the north and south Bais bays in Bais City, all in Negros Oriental.
BFAR7 director Mario Ruinata, in an advisory dated Nov. 19 but made public Nov. 20, said that all types of shellfish and alamang collected from these inlets “are now safe for human consumption.”
Results of the samples submitted and analyzed were all below the Philippine Regulatory Limit for Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP), or toxic red tide, following laboratory tests conducted by BFAR’s National Fisheries Laboratory Division and the Regional Fisheries Laboratory, Ruinata said.
BFAR7 is committed to regularly monitoring these areas, together with the local government units of Siaton and Bais City, and the provincial government of Negros Oriental, to safeguard public health and protect the shellfish industry, he added.
The local red tide warning was issued Oct. 25 as precautionary advice to safeguard all human lives and mitigate the impacts on the shellfish industry. | CGC
