Photo courtesy of Celeste Anna Formoso/ Philippine News Agency (PNA)
A temporary ban on shellfish gathering and trade is now in place in parts of western Pangasinan after toxic substances were found in coastal waters.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issued the advisory after laboratory analysis detected paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins in samples collected from Bolinao and Anda.
As a precaution, residents were urged to stop harvesting, selling, and consuming shellfish and small shrimp from the affected areas while further assessments are underway.
The restriction was announced by the BFAR regional office ahead of the release of a national shellfish bulletin.
Officials said other seafood products, including fish, squid, crabs, and larger shrimp, remain safe if properly cleaned, eviscerated, and cooked.
BFAR teams continue to closely monitor water quality to safeguard public health and determine when normal activities may resume.
The agency noted that the last recorded red tide incident in the two municipalities occurred in April of the previous year.