DAGUPAN CITY – The coastal towns of Bolinao and Anda are now positive of red tide toxin as gleaned from the Shellfish Advisory No. 17 and Shellfish Bulletin No. 13 of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on April 7.
Following the advisory, the City Agriculture Office on April 8, apprehended two vendors for transporting four sacks of green mussels to the Magsaysay Fish Market with a market value of P6,000.
The two vendors were identified as Crisanto Carolino and Alexander Calicdan, both of Salud, Bolinao, Pangasinan.
The confiscated sacks of green mussels were turned over to the Waste Management Division of the city for proper disposal.
The advisory prohibits the gathering or harvesting, transporting, marketing and eating of shellfish from the coastal waters affected by the red tide toxin.
As a precautionary measure, Market Inspectors/Administrators and Quarantine Officers were advised by BFAR to demand auxiliary invoice or local transport permit from transporters/dealers of fish and seashells from other provinces/municipalities being unloaded in Dagupan to ensure that thrse commodities did not come from areas found positive of red tide toxin. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/April 10, 2017)