Red tide in Samar worsens - BFAR

published May 03, 2010 in BusinessWorld

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has heightened the alert level in the Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar after laboratory tests showed that the toxicity level has gone up.

BFAR regional director Juan D. Albaladejo said the toxicity level rose to 4,000 cells per milliliter in April from 400 a month ago.

"This is alarming. The number is high that’s why we are strictly imposing the shellfish ban. Monitoring has been extended to nearby bays. We hired more people to monitor affected towns," he told BusinessWorld.

Matarinao, he noted, is near the BFAR station in Guiuan where abalone is raised for export.

The bureau has deployed personnel to monitor tide movement in the area. Other areas at risk are Leyte Gulf, Maqueda Bay, Samar Sea, Irong Irong Bay, Cancabato Bay, Ormoc Bay, and Carigara Bay. Red tide occurrences in these areas have been reported in the past.

The bureau has banned the harvest, sale, purchase and consumption of shellfish from Matarinao and in the coastal towns of Salcedo, Quinapondan, McArthur and Hernani.

"Eating contaminated shellfish could be fatal, especially for those who are very sensitive to the toxins," Mr. Albaladejo said. Shellfish catch from Matarinao are primarily distributed to Eastern Samar.

The capital city of Tacloban in Leyte and other areas source shellfish from Maqueda Bay, which is still free from red tide.

Mr. Albaladejo said the presence of toxins may be blamed on the heat and sudden rains in the afternoon, adding that the rains carry sediments from upland areas that could trigger a red tide.

Red tide is described as the discoloration of water caused by high algal biomass or concentration of algae. The discoloration may not necessarily be red and may also appear yellow, brown, green, blue or milky, depending on the organisms involved.