IPIL, Zamboanga Sibugay – The shellfish advisory issued by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Jan. 13, 2014 imposing a ban on eating, gathering, harvesting or marketing shellfish from Sibuguey Bay may be lifted before the month ends.
This was the statement of Ms. Maria Eden A. Jimenez of the Regional Fisheries Laboratory Section when interviewed Thursday by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) at the Roderic’s Hotel and Resort in this municipality.
“After we had issued the advisory, we were conducting weekly monitoring in the area of Mabuhay. Based on the tests we conducted, the threat is going down,” said Jimenez referring to the level of toxicity found on Shellfishes where the tests are conducted.
“So there is a possibility that one of these days the ban will be lifted,” she continued.
The shellfish toxicity level regulatory limit is below 60 μgSTXeq/100g of shellfish meat which will be considered no longer harmful to the body when intake.
Jimenez also disclosed that after the shellfish advisory shall have been lifted, the BFAR will still continue monitoring the shellfish in the area.
“If the ban is lifted, it doesn’t mean that we will no longer monitor because the flora and fauna of natural bodies of water constantly change every day,” Jimenez stressed.
She also bared that the red tide taskforce was already established in each of the 16 coastal municipalities of Zamboanga Sibugay.
The taskforce is composed of a chairperson, co-chairperson and a subcommittee comprising the Information, Education and Communications (IEC) unit of BFAR. (PIA9)