BALANGA CITY, Bataan – A ranking aquaculturist from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on Wednesday announced that the toxin level of shellfish in Bataan continued to rise four days after it was detected.
“The toxin level of mussels (tahong) and oysters (talaba) is going up and no one can predict when it will go down to the tolerable limit to become safe for human consumption,” BFAR Aquaculturist II Lea Fabella said.
She said that there is a big possibility that red tide will stay longer in the province and not only for one month as claimed.
She cited areas where red tide stayed for two years and some even for a decade.
BFAR shellfish advisory issued on November 5, 2010 that shellfish collected from the towns of Orani, Samal, Abucay, Pilar, Orion, Limay and Mariveles and the City of Balanga were positive of red tide.
The ban on the eating, gathering, selling and transport of shellfish is still in effect.
Toxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) was recorded at 293-1,009 micro-grams per 100 grams shellfish meat. The tolerable limit for shellfish to be safe for human consumption is placed below 60 micro-grams per 100 grams meat.
Fabella could not give exact figures but made it clear that water and shellfish samples from tahong and talaba taken indicated that the toxicity is going up. Three mice died after tahong meat gathered from Samal Tuesday was injected.
Danny Abrera, fisheries division chief of the provincial agriculture office, said that the result of the analysis from samples taken in Samal is true for Abucay and Balanga City being contiguous areas.
Abrera led a team that gathered samples of water and tahong in Samal while Fabella collected samples in Limay town. All samples were brought to the fisheries office in preparation for its transport to BFAR main office in Manila where the results of the analysis will be known and announced.
Abrera and Fabella said that through the test of the water samples under the microscope, red tide organisms will be detected. On tahong samples, the toxin level that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning will be determined.
The two also said that once red tide is in effect in a province, only BFAR main office will announce the result of the analysis.
Meanwhile, fish vendors in major public markets in Bataan continued to feel the pinch of the red tide although their merchandise was not included in the ban.
Sellers of shrimps and alimasag complained of reduction in their sales from 30 to 50 percent since Monday despite announcements that these sea products are not affected by the toxin.
“The toxin level of mussels (tahong) and oysters (talaba) is going up and no one can predict when it will go down to the tolerable limit to become safe for human consumption,” BFAR Aquaculturist II Lea Fabella said.
She said that there is a big possibility that red tide will stay longer in the province and not only for one month as claimed.
She cited areas where red tide stayed for two years and some even for a decade.
BFAR shellfish advisory issued on November 5, 2010 that shellfish collected from the towns of Orani, Samal, Abucay, Pilar, Orion, Limay and Mariveles and the City of Balanga were positive of red tide.
The ban on the eating, gathering, selling and transport of shellfish is still in effect.
Toxin that causes Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) was recorded at 293-1,009 micro-grams per 100 grams shellfish meat. The tolerable limit for shellfish to be safe for human consumption is placed below 60 micro-grams per 100 grams meat.
Fabella could not give exact figures but made it clear that water and shellfish samples from tahong and talaba taken indicated that the toxicity is going up. Three mice died after tahong meat gathered from Samal Tuesday was injected.
Danny Abrera, fisheries division chief of the provincial agriculture office, said that the result of the analysis from samples taken in Samal is true for Abucay and Balanga City being contiguous areas.
Abrera led a team that gathered samples of water and tahong in Samal while Fabella collected samples in Limay town. All samples were brought to the fisheries office in preparation for its transport to BFAR main office in Manila where the results of the analysis will be known and announced.
Abrera and Fabella said that through the test of the water samples under the microscope, red tide organisms will be detected. On tahong samples, the toxin level that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning will be determined.
The two also said that once red tide is in effect in a province, only BFAR main office will announce the result of the analysis.
Meanwhile, fish vendors in major public markets in Bataan continued to feel the pinch of the red tide although their merchandise was not included in the ban.
Sellers of shrimps and alimasag complained of reduction in their sales from 30 to 50 percent since Monday despite announcements that these sea products are not affected by the toxin.
