Red tide task force lifts ban in Sorsogon Bay

The Red Tide Task Force has lifted the ban it imposed on shellfish taken from the Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon City and Casiguran town in Sorsogon province after marine products tested negative for red tide toxin.

But the task force said that gathering of shellfish from Masinloc waters in Zamboanga, Honda Bay in Palawan, Juag lagoon in Matnog, Sorsogon; San Pedro Bay in Leyte and Samar, Balite Bay in Mati, Davao Oriental and Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur remains prohibited.

The group noted that the consumption of alamang from these areas is being discouraged. Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided they are fresh and properly cooked with the internal organs like gills and intestines removed.

Red tide first occurred in the Philippines in June 1983 in Maqueda and Villareal Bays in Western Samar. The organism has since spread occasionally to various areas, prompting the government to create the task force.

The task force is composed of the DOH, Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation and Communication, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Information Agency, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Interior and Local Government and various non-governmental organizations.

The red tide toxins are naturally found in sea floors where they lie dormants as "cysts." They move to the top or the middle of the seawater column because of pollution, wind direction and rains, among others.

The task force added that they decided to lift the ban in Sorsogon Bay after the latest laboratory analyses conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources on the shellfish and seawater samples collected there yielded "negative results" for red tide.

The ban on shellfish taken from Sorsogon Bay was imposed last May. 12.