- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The coastal waters of Bacolod, E.B. Magalona, Talisay, Silay, Hinigaran, and Victorias City in Negros Occidental remain free of the toxic red tide, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said Saturday, Aug. 26.
In an advisory, BFAR Region 6 director Remia Aparri said that shellfish from the coastal waters of Panay, Pilar, President Roxas, Ivisan, Sapian, and Roxas City in Capiz; Gigantes Island and Carles in Iloilo; and Altavas, Batan, and New Washington in Aklan were found unsafe for human consumption.
Aparri said that this is because, based on the laboratory examination conducted by the National Fisheries Laboratory Division, shellfish samples collected from these areas have high levels of saxitoxin, which can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) that leads to a range of neurological symptoms, including numbness, tingling, weakness, and paralysis.
“In severe cases, paralysis can affect the respiratory muscles, leading to difficulty in breathing and potentially fatal outcomes,” she said.
She urged the public from eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting and marketing all types of shellfish and alamang or hipon from these areas.
“Fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and their internal organs, such as gills and intestines, are removed before cooking,” Aparri said.
The BFAR6 said it will continuously monitor the shellfish growing areas to safeguard public health, and to protect the fishery industry.
The Department of Health said red tide poisoning is a life-threatening syndrome associated with eating contaminated shellfish, like tahong, talaba, and halaan./CGC
