BFAR hopes rain will flush red tide from Samar bay

TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Eastern Visayas is hoping the coming rainy season will clear Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar of red tide contamination.

BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo said predicting when the contamination will disappear is almost impossible so he is depending on nature to cure itself.

“I am hoping that the prevailing weather circumstances will favor the disappearance of this red tide event, considering that lower salinity and increasing waves are the conditions unfavorable for the red tide bloom,” he said.

BFAR has been collecting shellfish samples from the bay for three consecutive weeks, while the local government units monitoring its waters reveal the presence of the red tide toxin for more than a month now.

Last month, Eastern Samar Provincial Fisheries Officer Nelia Tomayao warned the public to refrain from gathering, selling and eating all kinds of shellfishes and Acetes sp. locally known as alamang or hipon' from Matarinao Bay to avoid possible shellfish poisoning.

Although there are no shellfish farms in the bay that could be adversely affected by red tide , Albaladejo said there are still fisherfolk who gather shellfish for consumption.

He noted that since 2011 Matarinao Bay has had long episodes of red tide occurrences, which last up to a year.

“The main reason is the configuration of the bay, which can be characterized as cul de sac, so movement of water is restricted. Thus, it tends to maintain and sustain the bloom for fertilization in shallow portion of the bay from run off the land,” he explained.

Meanwhile, coastal waters of Samar, Tacloban, Leyte and Biliran province continue to be free of red tide blooms.