The shellfish gathering and eating ban implemented at the Tagbilaran City bay stays until authorities can do three negative laboratory tests from shellfish meat samples collected within the affected areas.

This as the shellfish ban, caused by discovery of paralytic shellfish poison stretches two months and is feared to extend much longer with the  El Nino predicted in October.

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Bohol Fishery Officer Leo Bongalos relayed this at Kapihan sa PIA as he showed BFAR Shellfish Bulletin No, 20 issued August 7 which tackled the laboratory results of shellfish collected in the coastal waters of Dauis, Bohol and in three other areas in the country.

The tests showed that the shellfish collected in Balite Bay in Mati, Davao Oriental, Dauis coastal waters, Irong-irong Bay and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar as well as from the coastal waters of Milagros in Masbate are still positive and showed beyond regulatory limit of shellfish poison.

The local BFAR has identified Bohol redtide-tagged areas as Booy (Cainget) Sungculan and Riverside in Dauis and Poblacion II in Tagbilaran City.

He also said the lagoon area between Dauis Bridge in Junction Dauis and Causeway, as well as the lagoon in Sitio Napo have been identified as risk areas.

In the said areas, all types of shellfish and alamang are not safe for human consumption, said Atty. Asis G. Perez, BFAR National Director.

Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed, before cooking, Perez added.

A result about the harmful algal blooms update dated July 27-28 red-tide bloom toxin analysis showed brown mussels collected in three locations at K of C Tagbilaran showed 770, 794 and 813 micrograms per 100 grams of shellfish meat.

Meanwhile, in three locations at Cainget Beach in Booy, collected samples showed 35.976, 41,972 and 38,262 micrograms of toxins in 100 grams of kuja (oysters) meat.

Shellfish toxin values of more than 10 times the toxin regulatory limit of 60 micrograms per 100 grams of meat is considered fatal.

In Bohol, local authorities admit that there is no advanced tracking of shellfish products that fears of importing them from red-tide tagged areas could happen.

With this, local authorities implement a province-wide no-harvest, no-selling, no-buying and no-eating policy.

This is despite the fact that several areas in Bohol have not been tagged and health authorities even green-lighted their sales to Cebu markets. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)