Red tide recurs in Leyte’s Carigara Bay

Red tide phenomenon has recurred in Carigara Bay just six weeks after it was declared toxin-free, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) reported on Monday.

The sustained warm weather in the past weeks and soil erosion coming from large river systems are the two major factors that triggered the recurrence of the red tide phenomenon, said BFAR Eastern Visayas regional director Juan Albaladejo.

“The soil erosion has caused upwelling and leading the red tide-causing cyst of the dinoflagellates to resurface and bathe with the organic matter from the sediments resulting in sudden bloom,” Albaladejo said in a phone interview.

Carigara Bay covers the coastal waters of Babatngon, San Miguel, Barugo, Carigara, and Capoocan in Leyte province.

The fisheries bureau lifted the shellfish ban in Carigara Bay on June 24.

The recurrence of red tide in the area prompted BFAR to step up its monitoring in nearby bays for possible spread of red tide.

Albaladejo said the first red tide event in Eastern Visayas started in Carigara Bay in 1983. The pattern of spread of red tide through the years to Biliran Strait, Maqueda Bay in Samar and Samar Sea can trace back to the active current system in Carigara.

“This is the reason that BFAR intensifies its monitoring to all bodies of waters in the above areas as an early warning to possible impending spread,” he added.

Meanwhile, red tide bloom remains in San Pedro Bay in Basey, Samar; Matarinao Bay in the towns of General MacArthur, Hernani, Quinapondan, and Salcedo in Eastern Samar; and coastal waters Guiuan in Eastern Samar.

Fish, squid, crab, and shrimp gathered from these areas are safe to eat provided that all entrails are removed and washed thoroughly with running water before cooking.

The BFAR asked local government units to heighten their watch against gathering, trading, and consumption of shellfish to prevent the incidence of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).

PSP occurs from ingesting bivalve shellfish, such as mussels, oysters, and clams, that contain red tide toxins.

Red tide is a term used to describe a phenomenon where the water is discolored by high algal biomass or the concentration of algae. (PNA)

Agencies