The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has raised the red tide alert over the coastal waters of Placer in Masbate.
In its recent shellfish bulletin, BFAR said the coastal waters of Irong-Irong in Western Samar; Puerto Princesa Bay in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; and Mandaon in Masbate are still positive for paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona said all types of shellfish from these areas are not safe for human consumption.
The ban is up for hard- and soft-shelled clams, oysters and mussels that are susceptible to red tide contamination as they feed by sifting microscopic food out of the water.
“Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” Gongona said.
Areas which continue to be free from toxic red tide include the coastal waters of Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Navotas, Bulacan, Bataan, Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos, Sual, Wawa and Bani in Pangasinan, Masinloc Bay in Zambales, Mandaon in Masbate, Juag Lagoon in Matnog and Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon, Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City and Inner Malampaya Sound in Taytay Palawan.
Red tide occurs when algae rapidly increase in numbers to the extent that it dominates the local planktonic or benthic community.
Blooms are caused by environmental conditions that promote explosive growth usually caused by a metabolic response to a particular stimulus or from the physical concentration of a species in a certain area due to local patterns in water circulation, warm sea surface temperatures and high nutrient content.