The red tide phenomenon caused affected local government units to stop the harvest, transport, and consumption of shellfish and “alamang” because of the PSP toxicity level that is beyond the regulatory limit.
“Sapian Bay consisting of the municipal waters Ivisan and Sapian towns and Roxas City was declared red-tide free last Dec. 21, while the coastal water of Panay and President Roxas were declared free from the PSP contamination last Dec. 1,” said BFAR Capiz Provincial Office Public Information Officer Lorelyn Ofalla.
The onset of red tide toxin last August 2023 was first reported in Pilar town because of the 32 PSP suspected cases, which include one death from the locality, as well as Pontevedra town, and Roxas City.
The identified cases manifested numbness, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, among others, after eating green mussels or “tahong.”
The provincial government has established the Red Tide Monitoring team to carry out the weekly monitoring of the PSP developments through the Capiz Agri-Aqua Laboratory at the Office of the Provincial Building along Mabini Street.
The team is composed of, among others, aquaculturists, and field personnel, finding out the physical parameters like acidity, salinity, oxygen level, and temperature of water aside from the collection of shellfish for meat samples.
It has also distributed family food packs to the fisherfolk in the city and municipalities thru a created Task Force Pagdumdom (to remember).
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. also led the distribution of a 25-kilogram of rice to each of 1,000 red-tide-affected families in the city in the Capiz Gymnasium of the Villareal Stadium in this province. (AGP/AAL/PIA Capiz)
