Red tide in Bataan: The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) prohibits the importation, purchase, and eating of shellfish products from eight areas in Bataan province.
This was after the BFAR analysis revealed that shellfish products such as mussels, oysters, oysters from Orani, Hermosa, Limay, Orion, Pillar, Balanga, Samal, and Abucay coastal areas in Bataan were positive for red tide poisoning.
BFAR also urged local chief executives in such areas to thwart any attempt to bring the shellfish products from their area to the supermarket to safeguard the health of the people there.
Eating shellfish with poison can cause vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, or even death.
Also this month, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) prohibits harvesting, selling, and eating shellfish products such as mussels, “halaan,” and oysters from seven locations in the country because of red tide.
According to BFAR, the coastlines of Puerto Princesa Bay, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan; coastal waters of Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol; Irong, San Pedro, and Silanga in Western Samar; and Cancabato Bay, Tacloban City in Leyte are high in the red tide.
According to BFAR, red tide is a term used to describe a coastal phenomenon in which the water is discolored by high algal biomass or concentration of algae. The discoloration may not necessarily be red, but it may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue, milky, depending on the organisms involved. It may either be harmful or harmless.