ILOILO CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-6 (Western Visayas) confirmed the presence of red tide in 10 coastal areas in Panay Island following the death of a boy after eating “tahong” or green mussels.
“To safeguard human lives, the public is strongly advised to stop from eating, gathering or harvesting, transporting, and marketing all types of shellfish and shrimp species locally known as ‘alamang’ or ‘hipon,’” the BFAR-6 said in a shellfish bulletin released on Saturday, August 26.
Capiz has the most number of coastal areas on Panay Island that tested positive for red tide.
These areas were the coastal waters of capital Roxas City, Panay, Pilar, Ivisan, President Roxas, and Sapian.
Aklan province had three coastal areas with red tide – the towns of Altavas, Batan, and New Washington.
In Iloilo province, waters in Gigantes Island of Carles town, also tested positive for red tide.
“(But) 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,” said BFAR-6 Director Remia Aparri.