TACLOBAN CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has dispatched its personnel to the coastal areas of Carigara Bay in Samar and Naval Waters in Biliran province to warn against harvesting, selling, buying and eating all types of shellfish and alamang (fermented shrimp paste) gathered from these areas.
This came after an 81-year-old man and a nine-year-old girl died among eight victims of paralytic shellfish poisoning in Biliran brought about by Harmful Algal Bloom in the coastal areas, officials of BFAR Region 8 said.
BFAR has requested the barangay officials of Balaquid, Cabucgayan and Tukdaw in Kawayan, Biliran as well as the Provincial Health Office and the Municipal Agricultural Offices of Biliran and Carigara to help spread the information to neighboring barangays until the bureau issues a new shellfish bulletin declaring the areas free of red tide.
The Provincial Fisheries Office in Biliran has likewise inspected markets around Naval and Biliran to confiscate shellfish but found none in those markets.
Seven of the eight poisoning victims were brought to the Biliran Provincial Hospital on December 21 and 23 after eating leaf oysters, locally known as “masabay” or “sabay.” As of this writing, six of the eight victims have fully recovered.
BFAR continues to monitor other coastal waters positive with HAB—Irong-Irong and Cambatutay Bays in Western Samar; Matarinao Bay, Eastern Samar; the coastal waters of Calubian and Carigara Bay, Leyte; Gigantes Islands in Carles, Iloilo; Dauis and Tagbilaran City, Bohol, per Shellfish Bulletin No. 38 dated December 20.
The bureau will ensure there is no domestic movement of all types of shellfish and “alamang” in these areas as they are not safe for human consumption, its officials said.
However, in areas where there is HAB, BFAR informed the public that fish, squid, shrimp and crab are safe for human consumption, provided they are freshly caught and washed thoroughly, and their internal organs are removed before cooking.