P’sinan steps up efforts vs fish poisoning

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — With 12 deaths due to eating poisonous goby and seaweeds recorded in Alaminos City and Sual and Bolinao towns since 2002, the provincial government is now undertaking a massive awareness campaign, starting with the holding of the First Marine Biotoxin Technical Forum last Monday here.

Provincial agriculturist Jose Almendares said the provincial government and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) deemed it necessary to address the problem with the help of local government units, municipal agriculturists and market inspectors, among other sectors.

But why only now? Almendares said the situation has become "alarming" with the latest goby poisoning in Sual last May 30 where three persons died and 24 others hospitalized, followed by the similar death of a Dagupan City resident last June 1.

Based on the records of the provincial agriculturist’s office, three family members also died after eating goby, locally known as bunor, bunog or biya, in Barangay Pugaro, Dagupan City in 1997.

In Alaminos City last year, a group of men consumed botete (puffer fish) as pulutan, causing the death of one of them.

In September 2002, four people died in Bolinao after eating seaweeds locally known as kulot.

Almendares said laboratory tests showed that the kulot was not toxic, but the organisms attached to it were.

There were five others who were also hospitalized for eating goby in Barangay Calmay last Feb. 5, and three others in Barangays Bonuan Binloc and Bonuan Sabangan, both in Dagupan City last May.

Last Feb. 16, BFAR director Malcolm Sarmiento issued an advisory on goby and certain species of puffer fish to his regional directors to prevent more cases of poisoning.

Pangasinan Gov. Victor Agbayani thus issued a memorandum last March 17 to all municipal and city mayors, informing them about Sarmiento’s advisory.

A permanent ban was subsequently imposed on the gathering, marketing and consumption of goby (Gobius criniger) and two species of puffer fish (Lagocephalus lunaris and Lagocephalus lagocephalus).

But it seemed like the ban was not heeded.

Rosario Segundina Gaerlan, assistant regional director of BFAR-Region 1, who was one of the lecturers during the forum, said they will distribute posters of the poisonous fish species to be placed in public places like markets.

During the forum, experts discussed the causes, symptoms and antidotes for biotoxins such as red tide, seaweeds, ciguatera and tetrodotoxin.

BFAR personnel also expounded on paralytic shellfish poisoning which attacks the nervous system and is caused by eating cooked or raw shellfish that contains environmental toxins (saxitoxin). Red tide occurs mostly from May to November.