THREE months after the warning was raised on November 2018, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)- Central Luzon on Tuesday, March 5, finally lifted the red tide alert in the coastal waters of Pampanga.
In Shellfish Advisory No. 06 s. 2019 released on Thursday, March 7, by BFAR-Central Luzon, the coastal waters of Pampanga already tested negative for Paralytic Shellfish Poison based on the three weeks of consecutive sampling conducted in the area.
“Based on the red tide monitoring activities conducted by BFAR and local government units, shellfish samples collected from the coastal waters of Pampanga are now negative for red tide toxin,” the advisory read.
BFAR further declared that harvesting and marketing of shellfish from the province’s coastal waters are now permitted and consumption is already safe for humans.
Meanwhile, BFAR noted that it will sustain its monitoring activities in coastal waters to continuously safeguard public health and protect the shellfish industry.
It could be remembered that BFAR first raised the red tide alert in Pampanga coastal waters on November 2018 after the shellfish samples collected recorded 840 unit grams of Saxotoxin per 100 grams of shellfish meat, which is beyond the regulatory limit of 60 unit grams of Saxotoxin per 100 grams.