ABUCAY, Bataan – Fishermen and other people dependent on shellfish for their livelihood on Friday gathered green mussels, cooked and ate the tahong to show that red tide is already gone here.
They asked the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to lift the ban on the gathering, selling and eating of tahong in the area.
Fishermen leader Norbie Carlos said they have been complaining of the ban because there is no more red tide in this town and that tahong are already safe to eat.
“Hindi totoo na may red tide sa Abucay at sa araw na ito patutunayan naming na talagang walang lason ang tahong sa lugar na ito,” he said.
Women said they have been eating tahong and talaba every day and no one get hospitalized or die. Carlos said more than 600 families in Abucay are dependent on tahong-raising and have been suffering because of the shellfish ban.
BFAR has placed Bataan under the shellfish ban since November 2011 after an old woman from Samal, Bataan died on November 22 of that year of paralytic shellfish poisoning after eating sunset shell or sulib.
Under Shellfish Bulletin No. 07 dated March 14, 2012, Bataan coastal waters in the towns of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Orani, Abucay and Samal and the City of Balanga are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison.
“Suriin mabuti ang tahong dahil malaking kamalian na sabihing malubha pa red tide sa Abucay at hindi pa pwedeng kainin ang tahong,” Carlos said. Town Councilor Rudy Valencia even cautioned mediamen on making reports. “Sana magsuri muna dahil apektado kabuhayan ng marami.
Tulad noong isang araw, may nagbalita na may namatay sa pagkain ng tahong, eh noong Nobyembre pa pala ‘yon at sulib ang kinain,” he said.
In seven big fishing boats, fishermen with Valencia, Carlos and Abucay Municipal Administrator AtoDulay in convoy went out to the sea to accompany BFAR technicians in gathering water and tahong samples from rows of tahong cages made of bamboo posts.
Women and some children were on the fishing boats and watched BFAR personnel collect water samples while divers gather tahong in clusters. On the way back to the fish port, boat crews cooked the tahong that were later eaten.
The technicians said laboratory test will still be known on Tuesday. They invited representatives of fishermen to go with them to BFAR Manila office to see how tests are made.
