MANILA, Philippines — Personnel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) have been deployed to examine the safety of fish in areas affected by the oil spill in the waters off Bataan.
Samples will be taken from affected waters to determine if there is a need to declare a fishing ban, BFAR spokesman Nasser Briguera said yesterday.
Oil tanker Terra Nova, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel, sank 3.6 nautical miles off Lamao Point in Limay, Bataan last week.
“We immediately activated our ground personnel. We organized teams to assist the Philippine Coast Guard in conducting assessments both in land and sea operations. We will also deploy our floating assets to help in the assessment,” Briguera said.
He noted that an advisory in areas surrounding Manila Bay has been issued by the BFAR Regional Office 3.
“For those areas with shellfish farms, it’s better if they can implement early harvest so that they can save their farms and will no longer be affected by the oil spill,” he said.
Fishpond operators were advised to secure their gates, Briguera said.