Friday 18 September 2009
Bandar Seri Begawan, Sept 18 ' 09 - A Communique issued by the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources yesterday informed the public of the red tide phenomena currently affecting Sabah waters.
With this recent outbreak in the Malaysian state of Sabah, the Department of Fisheries is advising the public to refrain from buying any small-sized fish and shellfish from unknown origin.
Meanwhile, current monitoring in Brunei Darussalam has shown that our waters are still free from red tide.
However, as a precautionary measure, the public are reminded to completely remove and thoroughly clean the gills, guts and other internal organs of fishes prior to cooking.
The red tide phenomenon, or algal bloom, is caused by large concentrations of microorganisms which accumulate rapidly in water columns around coastal areas, which when present in high concentrations, appears to discolour the water.
Danger is caused by this phenomenon when the algae produces natural toxins or depletes dissolved oxygen in water, which can cause humans to become seriously ill from eating oysters and other shellfish contaminated with the red tide toxin.
The Fisheries Department will keep the public informed of the situation from time to time.
The public, especially fishermen, can assist the department in reporting any water discolouration and mass fish mortality in Brunei waters or beaches to the following hotlines: 8717153, 8715005 and 8787337
note : images are for reference only i.e. are not related to the statement
credits: brudirect.com / flickr / numerous source
