No red tide incidence has been reported in Negros Occidental, Ruel Almoneda, coordinator of the Provincial Coastal Fisheries Resources Management,said Saturday.

Almoneda said they tested the sea waters of Cadiz and Bacolod Cities and the towns of Pulupandan and Valladolid this month and found no presence of the harmful algae that causes shell fish poisoning.

He also said red tide is actually called the harmful algal bloom phenomenon that usually occurs during the rainy season after the long period of drought.

Alomoneda said the term “red tide” is used to describe the harmful algal phenomenon because the sea water turns red, indicating the presence of the algae but there are also instances where the sea water color also turns yellow or brownish.

The last harmful algal bloom phenomenon outbreak in the province occurred in 1988 where about 200 people were hospitalized and many died after eating shell fish.

The effects of sea shell poisoning can sometimes cause paralysis, amnesia and death, Almoneda said.

He said eating shellfish is the most common cause of red tide poisoning because it is a filter feeder and, unlike fish, its intestines are not removed before it is cooked.*APN

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