TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has declared the shellfish-rich island municipality of Zumarraga in Samar free from red tide, allowing hundreds of fisherfolk to resume their main source of livelihood – shellfish gathering.

However, the BFAR regional office warned that four other bodies of water in Eastern Visayas remain under shellfish ban due to the presence of red tide toxins beyond the regulatory limit.

Meanwhile, two waters – San Pedro Bay and the coastal water of Calbayog City – are under local red tide warning due to the presence of Pyrodinium bahamense, a dinoflagellate that produces red tide toxin (Saxitoxin), in seawater samples collected from these areas.

“We feel relieved that the ban is over. This is a good start of the year,” said Ruben Astorga, a fisherfolk from the coastal village of Camayse in Zumarraga, whose main source of income is gathering oysters and green mussels to sell to a consolidator in the village.

Zumarraga, with a population of 16,279 residents according to the 2020 Census, is one of the top producers of shellfish such as tahong, talaba, pantion, and sarad in Samar.

BFAR-8 said that the shellfish ban remains strictly enforced in the island town of Daram, Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan City, Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, and Biliran Island.

In these areas, harvesting, eating, and collecting all types of shellfish and alamang from these waters are strictly prohibited, with violators facing penalties.