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BFAR sets up red tide checkpoints in Sorsogon


Alarmed by the extent of red tide poisoning in the province, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has set up “red tide" checkpoints in areas near Sorsogon Bay. Radio dzRH reported Sunday that the checkpoints aim to prevent and discourage residents from collecting fish and shellfish from the bay, which had been contaminated since last year. The checkpoints were raised after a four-year-old boy, Vicente Cerillo Jr., died and a family of 14 from Sorsogon City was hospitalized after eating shellfish taken from the bay. Last Friday, a family of five in Sorsogon City was hospitalized after eating a dish prepared with sinigang sapsap (fish) from Sorsogon Bay. On the other hand, the BFAR said it is not discounting the possibility that unscrupulous traders would gather shellfish from Sorsogon Bay and sell them in Metro Manila. At least one such businessman was arrested near Casiguran town last year after he was caught at a checkpoint with 20 sacks of shellfish gathered from Sorsogon Bay. Meanwhile, the BFAR reported that the checkpoints will also be strict in inspecting permits from traders bringing in shellfish from Samar province. Residents in Camarines and Albay provinces have become wary of shellfish from Sorsogon Bay following the two recent poisoning incidents. - GMANews.TV

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