Since August 2024

Tagb, Dauis coastal waters

Freed from red tide, finally

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan 10 (PIA)—It is now safe to glean for seashells and crustaceans from the coastal waters of Tagbilaran Bay and Dauis.

This as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), in its succeeding Shellfish Bulletins from August 3, 2024 to date, found no more traces of the harmful Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP) or most commonly known as red tide in fish, squids, shrimps, crabs, and all types of shellfish that can be gleaned in the mentioned areas.

For over a decade, the BFAR has issued a no harvesting, no selling, no buying and no eating of shellfishes and marine food collected from the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis.

The sea waters here have been the lifeline of city students who end up consuming their food allowances before the next allocation gets in.

Also, reports of shellfish poisoning have happened to people who ate shellfish they gathered from here.

The BFAR advisories have urged local government units to implement measures to keep people whose livelihood depends on gleaning, to keep off the areas where gathering of shellfish is banned.

And while many thought the prohibition was only for a short time, succeeding shellfish bulletins by the BFAR continued to announce the presence of high levels of PSP in shellfish and fish gathered from the area.

While many people thought getting rid of the red tide in the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis would be tough considering that the lagoon which formed after the construction of Dauis Borja Bridge has restricted the free flow of the water during tidal changes, the BFAR shellfish bulletin number 18, issued August 3, 2024 changed all that.

Since then and after every 15 days of the BFAR collecting shells for laboratory analysis, 17 shellfish bulletins later, the BFAR team has not found the toxin levels in the shells safer now for human consumption.

In its Shellfish Bulletin No 2, series of 2025, which is the latest bulletin issued January 8, 2025, BFAR has now listed Irong-irong Bay in Samar, coastal waters of Daram Island in Samar, Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, Dumanquillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur and the coast waters of Tungawan ni Zamboanga Sibugay Provincie still positive for PSP or the toxic red tide that is beyond the regulatory limits.

In these areas, all types of shellfish and uyap gathered from here are not safe for human consumption. Moreover, fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and the internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking.

The same bulletin, as with the earlier bulletins since August 3 listed the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis as free from toxic red tide.

Bohol sits long with 92 other areas across the country, which have been earlier declared with red tide, but has been freed from the threat.

The last shellfish bulletin when the coastal waters of Tagbilaran City and Dauis Bohol was still with the red tide was sined by BFAR officer in Charge Isidro M. Velayo Jr., while the newest shellfish bulletin was signed by Atty. Demosthenes Escoto, BFAR Director. (PIABohol)

HAPPY DAYS AGAIN. Shellfish gleaners who earn their living from gathering seashells and selling them in the city market, now that the BFAR has declared the seas here freed from red tide. It has been 5 months since BFAR has not found toxin levels in shellfish here harmful for human consumption. (PIABohol)