Sanitary closure is lifted in Mazatlan Bay, Sinaloa; mollusks can now be consumed in the area

On April 13, local authorities reported that the sanitary ban implemented in the harvest area of Bahia de Mazatlán, Sinaloa, was lifted, which means that locals and tourists will be able to enjoy mollusks caught in the area for this Lenten season.

The head of the State Commission for the Protection against Health Risks of the state, Luis Alonso García Corrales, confirmed that, after the last analysis of water in Mazatlan Bay, it was agreed to lift the sanitary ban on the extraction, sale and consumption of bivalve mollusks (clams, oysters, axe callus, etc. . ).

It should be noted that this comes after almost three weeks after Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and the Secretary of Health, Hector Melesio Cuen Ojeda, banned any type of action with the mollusk due to the presence of red tide on the coast.

Red tide is a disproportionate growth of algae (like dinoflagellates). Due to its reddish color, it gives the sea a red-brown color.

Microalgae are tiny organisms that can only be observed under a microscope; some contain toxins that are harmful, especially for humans if they are consumed.

And it is that one of the ways in which these cases occur is the consumption of bivalve mollusks because they feed on microscopic organic particles, elements of phytoplankton in general, smaller than 20 thousandths of a millimeter, that are suspended in water.

“This type of diet is precisely what makes bivalves a risk, since they can bioaccumulate the toxins produced by microalgae,” says the information provided by Cofepris.

Once this occurs, intoxication syndromes can be: neurotoxic, diarrheal, paralytic and amnestic symptoms, to mention a few.

The degree of toxicity of each type of event depends directly on the predominant species that causes it. To date, around 157 different species of algae have been identified on the Mexican coast, of which only 45 are potentially toxic.

Health authorities have specified that many toxic or harmful events, such as that of the “Red Tide”, occur without changes in the shade of the water. This is due to the low density in its biomass, but in sufficient concentrations of toxins to favor toxic and harmful events.

Fishing in Mexico

According to data from the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Conabio), Mexico is home to a total of 4,643 marine mollusks, 2,763 species of fish, 1,775 of crustaceans, 643 types of echinoderms and 289 of jellyfish.

It should be noted that the country recognizes the fishing exploitation of 589 marine species, of which 318 are located in the Pacific and 271 come from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, although the main fisheries are concentrated in around 112 species.

In the territory 17 of the 31 states obtain their fish production from the sea, with Sonora and Sinaloa being the first places in production and value respectively.

For the Lenten season, in which the country reports the highest consumption of fish and shellfish, Conabio invites consumers to consult the Responsible Consumption Traffic Light in order to ensure that the consumption of fish species has the smallest possible footprint in the ecosystem.

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