A red tide alert is up on two more bays in Negros Oriental following laboratory results that showed high levels of harmful algal blooms (HABs).
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) – Negros Oriental chief Florencia Mepaña said that they received on Tuesday, Nov. 5, a copy of the laboratory tests on shellfish samples that were collected in Tambobo Bay and Siit Bay in Siaton town last month.
“The shellfish tested positive of saxitoxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning and this is even deadlier than other algae species like pyrodinium that are harmful to humans,” Mepaña said.
Meanwhile, the red tide warning remains hoisted over Bais Bay in Bais City as the latest sampling, also taken last month, still showed high concentrations of harmful toxins.
Water samples from Bais Bay collected by the BFAR in August tested positive for pyrodinium, resulting in a ban on the collection, consumption, and sale of shellfish and small shrimp.
Repeat sampling in October on “talaba” (oyster) from Bais Bay showed the meat containing saxitoxin, the BFAR laboratory results showed.
Mepaña reiterated the agency’s call on local government units to help enforce the shellfish ban to prevent poisoning in humans.
She said one restaurant in Dumaguete City continuously contacts their office for red tide updates while the public market is also not accepting or selling shellfish from Bais Bay.
In Siaton, some have also posted red tide alerts on social media to warn the public against consuming contaminated shellfish that causes diarrhea, vomiting, and other symptoms.
Harmful algal blooms are triggered by high concentration of toxins that usually come from agricultural runoffs carried from farms to the sea.*PNA