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| BFAR-8 has issued a red tide toxin warning for nine areas in Eastern Visayas. PHOTO: Bagoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
TACLOBAN CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-8 (BFAR-8) issued a red tide warning in six locations of Eastern Visayas on Thursday, October 7, after shellfish samples tested positive for red tide toxin or paralytic shellfish poison, which are not safe for human consumption.
According to a BFAR advisory, all varieties of shellfish harvested from the following areas in Region 8 should be avoided:
- Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City;
- Ormoc Bay in Leyte (Albuera, Ormoc City, and Merida);
- Carigara Bay in Leyte (Capoocan, Carigara, Barugo, San Miguel, and Babatngon);
- Coastal Waters of Leyte, Leyte;
- Cambatutay Bay in Tarangnan, Samar ;
- San Pedro Bay in Basey, Samar ;
- Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar (General MacArthur, Hernani, Quinapondan, and Salcedo);
- Coastal Waters of Guiuan, Eastern Samar; and
- Biliran Island.
The same LOCAL RED TIDE ADVISORIES are still in effect in IRONG-IRONG BAY (Local Advisory, September 6, 2021), which covers Catbalogan, Samar.
To avoid shellfish poisoning, the public is encouraged to REFRAIN from GATHERING, SELLING, and EATING all forms of shellfish and "Alamang or Hipon" from these bays.
Fish, squid, crab, and shrimp caught in the above-mentioned places are safe to consume if all entrails are removed and properly rinsed with running water before cooking. —Tacloban News Update (Source: BFAR-8)