BY JUANCHO GALLARDE
The provincial red tide monitoring team has recommended the continued ban on shell fish consumption and collection from the entire Tambobo bay area in Siaton and North Bais Bay in Bais City, Negros Oriental until further notice due, to the presence of red tide.
Collection and consumption of shellfish from Siit Bay in Siaton, South Bais Bay in Bais City, and Panam-angan River in Tanjay City should also be done with caution, the team said.
The recommendations of the team, dated July 12, were submitted to provincial agriculturist Nestor Villaflores.
Team leader Wilmencita Pialago, a marine biologist, said the red tide causing dinoflagellate is still in existence in the entire Tambobo and Siit bays in Siaton, with highest cell density counts of 1,119 cells per liter of water and 36 cells per liter of water, respectively.
Similar species of dinoflagellate is also present in the north and south bays of Bais City with highest cell density counts of 1,178 cells per liter of water and 454 cells per liter of water, respectively. The presence of useless and harmless microalgae was also noted in the water samples from both bays, and a bloom of a species of diatom was also noted in the North Bais bay, the team’s report showed.*
