CEBU residents were cautioned on buying and eating shellfish in light of the red tide experienced in Samar province.
Alma Saavedra, information officer of the regional Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR-7), said consumers should ask the sellers or vendors where they got their shellfish.
“Let’s hope ang mga naninda motug-an sab sa tinood (Let’s hope that the sellers will also tell the truth),” Saavedra told reporters yesterday.
She said BFAR has been monitoring shell fish being sold in local markets in the province since they earlier confiscated shellfish that tested positive for red tide toxins.
BFAR imposed a shellfish ban in Leyte and Samar last week.
In their bulletin, Saavedra said shellfish gathered from Cancabato Bay in Tacloban City and Daram Island in Western Samar were found positive for the algae that produces the red tide toxin.
Saavedra said they have not confiscated shellfishes that are positive of red tide toxin.
She noted that some of these products entered Cebu province because of the many entry points that were not inspected by authorities.
“Mao na nga magbinantayon (gyud). Atong hangyo sa atong mga konsumidor nga magbinantayon, likay lang usa tag kaon og shell fish (That’s why we should be on guard. We ask the consumers to be on guard and to avoid eating shellfish for the meantime),” Saavedra said.