SAMAL, Bataan – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Tuesday issued a ban on eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting and marketing of shellfish from seven towns and one city along the coastal waters of Bataan due to red tide that caused the death of an old woman.
“Based on the results of red tide monitoring activities of BFAR and the red tide monitoring center in Bataan, shellfish collected from Bataan coastal waters in Balanga City and the towns of Mariveles, Limay, Orion, Pilar, Abucay, Samal and Orani are now positive for the red tide toxin,” the BFAR advisory said.
“Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin level in shellfish samples collected from these areas is 70 – 5,617gramsSaxi-Toxin(STX)g/100g of shellfish meat,” the advisory further said. The tolerable limit is only 60gSTXg/100g shellfish meat.
Mayor Gene Dela Fuente complimented BFAR Shellfish Advisory No. 8 with Executive Order No. 22 dated November 22, 2011 with the same restrictions after an old woman died and four others from the town were hospitalized of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) after eating sunset shell, also called sulib in Bataan (but not mussels).
Melinda Lucio, 71, from the fishing village of Tabing-Ilog in Samal died Friday while her husband Raymundo Lucio, 71, and grandson Bryan Lucio, 12 were hospitalized after eating adobong sulib that the old man caught and cooked.
Two others from the village, Remedios dela Cruz and Dexter Esconde, complained of vomiting, stomach ache and numbness of lips after likewise eating sulib, a report from Tabing-Ilog barangay chairman Glenn Velasco showed.
“Nanguha ako ng isang tabong sulib, ibinabad sa tubig, hinimay, nilinis mabuti at pagkatapos inadobo ko.
Nang makita ng asawa ko na kumakain na ako bandang 12 ng tanghali, kumain narin siya ngunit wala pang isang oras ay namanhid na bibig namin kaya nagpunta kami sa health center na pagkatapos ay dinala kami sa ospital,” Raymundo said.
Bryan upon arrival from school also ate his lunch with the adobong sulib. “Namanhid buong katawan ko, nahilo na parang lumulutang ako sahangin,” the boy said.
Raymundo said his grandson was forced to vomit and brought to the hospital with them. The old woman died at the hospital from alleged shellfish poison.
The old man said he has been gathering sulib for more than 50 years and this was the first time that he learned that someone died from it. “
“It was so alarming and saddening that one died but we learned of the presence of red tide earlier or many would have died or hospitalized,” Dela Fuente said.
The mayor also said she immediately informed the provincial office of BFAR and asked that samples of sulib be taken and tested. She said that results of the laboratory test on sulib on Sunday showed that it was more than 1,000gSTXg/100g of sulib meat.
Imelda Inieto, provincial agriculturist, said that because of what happened in Samal, they collected samples of not only sulib but also green mussels and oysters (talaba).
She said that the red tide toxin was present in tahong samples taken from one city and the seven towns with Samal.
Inieto said eating of fish are safe for human consumption provided these are fresh and washed thoroughly and their internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.
