MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay: Shellfish ban lifted in Maldonado and Rocha

Officials lifted a shellfish ban as water samples tested negative for red tide

The National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (DINARA) on Friday lifted the ban on bivalve mollusc fishing, trade and transportation in the departments of Maldonado and Rocha after tests indicated the area was newly free of the red tide bloom.

"The monitors showed a negative result on red tide, which is good news for February," said Daniel Montiel, director of DINARA, a branch of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MGAP), El Pais reports. "Clams, mussels, and cockles can now be consumed." DINARA will continue to monitor the Uruguayan Atlantic coast. Government protocols require that controls of fishing samples in predetermined areas be carried out on a weekly basis. Originally detected the end of last month, the red tide phenomenon is a natural one consisting of an increased concentration of certain plankton components that photosynthesise and make the water appear to be tainted red. (FIS)