THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Davao Region has assured the public that the coastal waters in the region are safe from red tide.
BFAR regional director Fatma Idris said as of January 15, the areas in the Balite Bay in Mati City in Davao Oriental, and the coastal waters in Davao Occidental are negative from red tide.
“These two areas were identified to be positive [of] red tide before but now it is negative. [In] third or fourth quarter nag-negative siya,” she said.
The presence of red tide toxins was recorded high around April of 2019.
BFAR Davao reportedly discouraged the public from eating, gathering, or harvesting, transporting, and marketing shellfish from the coastal towns of Sta. Maria and Balite Bay in Mati City.
According to a BFAR-Davao report, the red tide occurred twice during the first semester. It was lifted in December last year.
“After that no more because we have continuous monthly monitoring of the water and we found [out it is] negative,” she said.
“So safe sa atong mga consumers to eat yamang-dagat, the fish, the shellfish, the crabs, the shrimps, and pusit (So it is safe for our consumers to eat fish, shellfish, crabs, shrimps, and squid),” she said.