30 May 2010
Red tide-affected areas widen
AN official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has confirmed that the towns of Bani, Anda and Bolinao in western Pangasinan are now contaminated by red tide.
DTr. Westly Rosario, chief of the BFAR’s National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center, urged the authorities of the three towns to do something to caution their citizens from harvesting their shellfish, like mussels and oysters, yet.
Quoting red tide bulletin issued by their main office, Rosario said that it appears that the areas affected by red tide in western Pangasinan had widened ever since the phenomenon was first noted before the election in Barangay Wawa, Bani.
Since it is difficult to detect that shellfishes contain the deadly red tide toxins, the best way to protect the health of the people is to prevent the harvesting of shellfish till the threat of red tide is over, Rosario said.
Rosario said the three local government units must strictly monitor the harvesting of shellfish in their respective areas to protect the people eating mussels and oysters that mostly come from western Pangasinan.
It is better that the three LGUs stop the harvesting of mussels and oysters at source rather than seizing and confiscating these while they are already on the way to the markets or are already being sold to the consumers, he added.
Rosario said it is possible that the red tide organism in Wawa, Bani might have spread to the adjacent municipal waters of Bolinao and Anda because of the hot weather condition prevailing.
Bolinao and Anda are where most of the mussels and oysters being sold in the markets of Dagupan City and other parts of Pangasinan are coming from.
Since the seeds of red tide are already in the coastal waters in western Pangasinan, the phenomenon is likely to occur in Bani, Bolinao and Anda every summer.
Rosario called on the people to take the BFAR red tide bulletins seriously and refrain from eating shellfish yet. (PNA)
DTr. Westly Rosario, chief of the BFAR’s National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center, urged the authorities of the three towns to do something to caution their citizens from harvesting their shellfish, like mussels and oysters, yet.
Quoting red tide bulletin issued by their main office, Rosario said that it appears that the areas affected by red tide in western Pangasinan had widened ever since the phenomenon was first noted before the election in Barangay Wawa, Bani.
Since it is difficult to detect that shellfishes contain the deadly red tide toxins, the best way to protect the health of the people is to prevent the harvesting of shellfish till the threat of red tide is over, Rosario said.
Rosario said the three local government units must strictly monitor the harvesting of shellfish in their respective areas to protect the people eating mussels and oysters that mostly come from western Pangasinan.
It is better that the three LGUs stop the harvesting of mussels and oysters at source rather than seizing and confiscating these while they are already on the way to the markets or are already being sold to the consumers, he added.
Rosario said it is possible that the red tide organism in Wawa, Bani might have spread to the adjacent municipal waters of Bolinao and Anda because of the hot weather condition prevailing.
Bolinao and Anda are where most of the mussels and oysters being sold in the markets of Dagupan City and other parts of Pangasinan are coming from.
Since the seeds of red tide are already in the coastal waters in western Pangasinan, the phenomenon is likely to occur in Bani, Bolinao and Anda every summer.
Rosario called on the people to take the BFAR red tide bulletins seriously and refrain from eating shellfish yet. (PNA)
Labels: Redtide toxin
