The Department of Health (DOH) has advised the public to skip shellfish and shrimp fry harvested from five coastal areas in the Visayas and Mindanao due to the continued presence of the poisonous red tide toxin. The health agency issued the warning following a bulletin from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) which warned that shellfish collected from Balite Bay in Mati, Davao Oriental, the coastal waters of Dauis in Bohol, Irong-irong Bay and Cambatutay Bay in Western Samar, and the coastal waters of Milagros in Masbate were positive for paralytic shellfish poison. “All types of shellfish (such as tahong, halaan and talaba) and shrimp fry (alamang) gathered from these areas are not safe for human consumption,” according to the BFAR bulletin.

Uy, J. (2015, August 1). DOH raises red tide alert in 4 provinces. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.