Today's Massachusetts
shellfish constable has a more complex and varied role than had his predecessors.
Filter feeding
shellfish such as cockles, mussels and oysters feed on microscopic algae that grow in the sea.
It was only four years ago that a 12-month ban on cockle picking, because of fears of a
shellfish bug at Burry Inlet, near Llanelli, was lifted.
The toxins, known as paralytic
shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins, can cause numbness and drowsiness, loss of consciousness and respiratory failure.
Food and Drug Administration based its current limits for domoic acid in
shellfish on levels that are assumed to be safe for adults.
We have to strictly prohibit harvesting, trading, consumption, and shipment of
shellfish from this affected area,' said BFAR Regional Director Juan Albaladejo in a phone interview.
The Government is taking action to improve the health of the Hauraki Gulf by supporting the restoration of
shellfish reefs and beds announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage at a meeting of the Hauraki Gulf Forum in Auckland on Tuesday evening.
The BFAR said samples of
shellfish gathered in these waters had traces of microorganisms causing paralytic
shellfish poisoning.
The two areas were among those listed as infested with the toxins in the bulletin of the agency last month as it banned the people from eating all types of
shellfish from the affected areas due to the high levels of paralytic
shellfish poisoning (PSP).
"Water samples collected in the area were positive of Pyrodinium bahamense variety compressum, a microorganism that causes paralytic
shellfish poisoning," Albaladejo said.
Moreover, the BFAR's
Shellfish Bulletin 1, released by the Information and Fisherfolk Coordination Unit has added Cancabato Bay, Tacloban City in Leyte among areas that are positive for red tide toxin.