Posted April 5, 2008

Coastal towns along Irong-Irong Bay in Samar, still under shellfish ban, BFAR says

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The coastal municipalities along Irong-Irong Bay in the province of Samar, are still under Shellfish Ban, the latest Shellfish Bulletin No. 08 series of 2008 issued by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Marine Biotoxin Unit on March 20, 2008, stated.

Mr. Ruben Francisco, officer in charge of the Regional Integrated Fisheries Laboratory, in a communication released on April 1, 2008, reported "that for three consecutive weeks of sampling along Irong-Irong Bay, laboratory results showed negative of PSP toxins in shellfish samples and causative dinoflagellates cells could no longer be detected in seawater samples."

Mr. Francisco clarified that Irong-Irong Bay covers the waters in the city of Catbalogan and the municipality of Tarangnan, both in the province of Samar.

Shellfish Ban in bodies of water contaminated with Red Tide, however, could only be lifted by the Director General of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

This means that until such time that an official pronouncement by the BFAR Director General, the Shellfish Ban still stands.

When a body of water is under shellfish ban, all types of shellfish and Acetes sp. or alamang gathered are not safe for human consumption.

The shellfish producers in areas under Shellfish Ban, are not allowed to harvest much less to sell shellfish products.

The public, in areas under Shellfish Ban, is also warned from buying and eating shellfish products, in order to avoid unnecessary lost of lives and damage to health.

In areas under Shellfish Ban, fish, squids 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.   (PIA 8)

Posted January 16, 2008

Carigara, Irong-irong bays remain under shellfish ban

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  Carigara Bay in Leyte and Irong-Irong Bay in Samar are still under shellfish ban, Mr. Ruben Francisco of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Integrated Fisheries Laboratory informed.

Mr. Francisco said that the latest Shellfish Bulletin No. 01 dated January 2, 2008 showed that the coastal municipalities along Carigara Bay and Irong-Irong Bays are still under shellfish ban.

Carigara Bay covers the municipalities of Carigara, Capoocan and Leyte, in the province of Leyte while Irong-Irong Bay covers the municipality of Tarangnan in Samar province.

In the said Shellfish Bulletin No. 1, series of 2008, BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr. said that based on the latest laboratory results of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Local Government Units, shellfish ban is still imposed on six bodies of water in the country. This means that three of the coastal bodies of water which used to be under the shellfish ban are already free from red tide toxin.

These include the coastal waters of Milagros in Masbate; Sorsogon Bay in Sorsogon; Bislig Bay in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur; Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan City, Samar and Carigara Bay in Leyte.

The public is therefore, urged to heed the directive of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources particularly that which states that all types of shellfish, including alamang gathered from the above banned areas are not safe for human consumption, hence the harvesting or gathering, marketing and eating of such are strictly prohibited.

The public is also urged not to buy and not to eat shellfish and alamang coming from the above mentioned areas which are under the shellfish ban because of the presence of red tide toxin as seen from the laboratory examinations on paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin in shell samples collected from these bodies of water.

This is to prevent destruction to health and lives of people, Director Sarmiento stressed.

Fish, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.  (PIA 8)

Posted December 4, 2007

Irong-irong now free of red tide toxins, BFAR has yet to lift the ban

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The coastal barangays along Irong-Irong Bay are negative of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins and from toxic dinoflagellates.

This is based on the latest laboratory examination results on toxic dinoflagellates identification in seawater samples and mouse bio-assay examination on paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin in shellfish samples collected at the Irong-Irong Bay waters, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office 8 informed.

However, the Bureau pointed to the fact that Shellfish bulletin No. 28 series of 2007 dated November 19, 2007, issued by the Bureau of Fisheries Central Office is still being enforced.

The said Shellfish bulletin, imposed shellfish ban on various waters in the country to include three bodies of water in Eastern Visayas.

These are the coastal areas of Irong-Irong Bay in Tarangnan and Catbalogan, Samar; Carigara and Cancabato Bays in the province of Leyte.

And so, until such time that the BFAR Central Office will issue a bulletin lifting the shellfish ban at Irong-Irong Bay, all types of shellfish and alamang gathered in the body of water remains to be prohibited.

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.

Meanwhile, the latest report from the Leyte Marine Biotoxins Testing Center shows that the latest laboratory analysis of seawater samples from Carigara Bay and Cancabato Bay, showed positive of red tide causing organism.

However, Ms. Imelda Sievert, Team Leader of the Red Tide Monitoring Team, reported that the shellfish samples from Carigara Bay and Cancabato Bay and Camotes Sea were negative of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin since no reaction in mice was shown.  (PIA 8)

Posted October 24, 2007

Refrain from eating shellfish from Cancabato and Carigara Bays, Leyte Red Tide Monitoring Team warns public

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The public is cautioned from eating shellfish from the Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City and from Carigara Bay in Carigara because the latest laboratory analysis of shellfish samples from these bodies of water showed positive of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin beyond the regulatory limit of 40 micrograms saxitoxin equivalent/100 grams meat.

The result of the latest laboratory analysis of shellfish samples from Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City showed an increase in cell density of the pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum or the toxic red tide causing organism.

This was learned from Acting Provincial Agriculturist Rogelio Portula based on the report of Ms. Imelda Sievert, the team leader of the Red Tide Monitoring in the province of Leyte.

Mr. Portula said that he has already communicated the same to Leyte Governor Carlos Jericho Petilla who is always furnished a copy of the latest laboratory analysis of the Red Tide Monitoring Team in the Province of Leyte.

The result of the laboratory analysis on the sample taken from Cancabato Bay in the area of the Fishermen's Village on October 19, yielded an increased density of cells which is 95.36, Mr. Portula said.

The Red Tide Monitoring Team has intensified their surveillance and monitoring on Cancabato Bay in order to safeguard the health of the people, Mr. Portula said.

Meanwhile, the latest mouse bioassay laboratory analysis of shellfish samplings in Carigara Bay, Carigara, Leyte, conducted on October 17, showed positive of red tide causing organism, Pyrodinium Bahamense var. compressum.

This was also revealed by Acting Provincial Agriculturist Rogelio O. Portula based on the report of Imelda G. Sievert, Team Leader of the Red Tide Monitoring Team at the Leyte Marine Biotoxins Testing Center.

Provincial Agriculturist Portula said that shellfish sample from the area, Golden Lip Pearl (masabay) was also positive of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin at toxicity level of 80.43 micrograms saxitoxin equivalent /100 grams meat.

This, Mr. Portula said, is also above the regulatory limit of 40 micrograms saxitoxin equivalent/100 grams meat.

Mr. Portula said that the Provincial Agriculture Office advised the public to refrain from eating shellfish and acetes sp (alamang or hipon) gathered from the area in the meantime that the toxicity level is still high.  (PIA 8)

Posted October 23, 2007

Irong-Irong Bay, Samar bans shellfish

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  The latest shellfish advisory dated October 19, 2007 from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) bares that shellfish collected from Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan, Samar is positive for the red tide toxin Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).

The advisory signed by director Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr, was based on the results of red tide monitoring activities of BFAR 08. Said data noted that the toxin level collected from the mentioned area is 52.2 to 55 ug STeq/100 g of shellfish meat.

Earlier, Roland Ay-ay, Samar BFAR chief informed that an intensified meat sampling was done in Irong-irong Bay due to the proximity of Samar to Sorsogon, the latter was reported earlier to be positive of the red tide toxins.

As it is, the public is advised to refrain from eating, gathering or harvesting transporting and marketing shellfish from Irong-irong Bay in Samar until such time that the shellfish toxicity level of 40 ug STXeq/100 g of shellfish meat.

Meanwhile, in the region, based on the advisory, the following areas continue to be free from toxic red tides; Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City; Carigara, Leyte, Ormoc and San Pedro Bays in Leyte; Biliran Waters in Biliran province and Maqueda and Villareal Bays in Samar.  (PIA Samar)

Posted October 11, 2007

Shell samples from Carigara bay are negative of paralytic shellfish poisoning

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The latest laboratory analysis on shellfish samples taken from Carigara Bay which covers the waters of Capoocan, Babangon, Leyte-Leyte and Barugo showed that the same are negative of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin.

This is the report of the Red Tide Monitoring Team under the leadership of Imelda Sievert.

The report said that the latest results on the shellfish samples from Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City and Camotes Sea in Palompon also showed that the samples are negative of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin.

Meanwhile, the latest laboratory analysis of seawater samples from Carigara Bay showed positive of Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum in all the sampling stations in Capoocan but was no longer present in Barugo and Babatngon.

Seawater samples from Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City remain positive but at decreased cell densities.

Seawater samples from Leyte Bay in the municipality of Leyte, showed negative of red tide causing organisms.

It would be recalled that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director General Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr. through Shellfish Advisory No. 16 dated September 21, 2007, advised the public to refrain from eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting and marketing shellfish from Carigara Bay to avoid paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Director Sarmiento said that based on the results of red tide monitoring activities of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Leyte, shellfish collected from Carigara Bay in Leyte, is positive for the red tide toxin. Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning toxin level in the shellfish sample collected from the said area is 60 micrograms saxitoxin equivalent /100 grams of shellfish meat.

The shellfish ban will be imposed until such time that the shellfish toxicity level has gone down below regulatory level of 40 micrograms saxitoxin equivalent/100 grams of shellfish meat.  (PIA 8)