Limay, Bataan — “To eat or not to eat.”

That is the question hounding consumers of aquatic delicacies after three oil spill incidents occurred in the coastal waters of Bataan.

The body of water is part of Manila Bay from which fishermen get their catch that they sell mostly in Luzon.

For the fisherfolk of the town of Limay, the fish remain safe to eat.

Overall Chairperson Edgardo Gomez said the number of fish they caught have dwindled.

The news of an oil leak has affected the fisherfolk, the fish traders, and the consumers.

See for yourselves

Gomez said that consumers who fear that the fish in Limay may be contaminated should visit the port and check for themselves if the fish are contaminated.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring town of Morong, a netizen posted a photo of a fish with black gills.

Justine Domingo, a resident of Morong, posted on his Facebook account that one of the fish he bought in Barangay Binaritan had black gills.

The mapuaw fish he bought from a vendor on 1 August weighed half a kilo. He said that when he removed the gills and entrails, an oily smell was emitted.

He said the Department of Agriculture took a sample of the fish to test it for traces of oil.

His Facebook post was not meant to discredit the fisherfolk of Bataan, he said, but to promote vigilance among consumers to ensure that the fish they buy does not have an oily smell or black substance in the entrails.