BALANGA CITY –The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources lifted the shellfish ban in Bataan Wednesday after samples collected in nine coastal towns were found negative for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), the provincial agriculture office announced Wednesday night.
Provincial agriculturist Engr. Joey Roberto Dizon said BFAR issued Shellfish Advisory No. 08 dated March 2, 2022 based on the results of red tide monitoring activities of the fishery agency and the local government units.
Negative results for the PSP or red tide toxin were obtained from three consecutive weeks of sampling in Balanga City and the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Samal, Abucay, Pilar, Orion, Limay, and Mariveles.
BFAR declared the shellfish ban on Nov. 6, 2021 and then on Feb. 25, 2022 after shellfish raised in these coastal areas were tested unfit for human consumption due to the presence of red tide.
With the lifting of the ban, Dizon said that eating, gathering and/or harvesting and marketing of shellfish from the eight towns and the city are now permitted.
She said BFAR and the LGU are continuously monitoring the coastal waters of Bataan to safeguard public health and to protect the fishery industry.
