ANGELES CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said yesterday that red tide has not yet abated off the shores of Balanga City and seven other towns in Bataan, as it reiterated the ban on shellfish in the affected areas.
“Refrain from gathering and eating shellfish from the affected the coastal waters of Bataan as red tide toxin which causes paralytic shellfish poisoning remains present in the area,” BFAR said in an advisory.
Apart from Balanga, the affected areas include the municipalities of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Abucay, Samal and Orani.
BFAR Central Luzon information officer Lanie Lamyong cited an updated study indicating that “the current red tide toxin level in shellfish samples collected from the coastal waters of Bataan is still significantly higher than the 60 STX per 100 gram tolerable limit.”
Lamyong said, however, that only shell fishes are unsafe. “Fishes harvested from the coastal waters are safe to eat as long as they are fresh and washed thoroughly and their internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before they are cooked,” she said.
