MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ban on bi-valve molluscs extraction along Buenos Aires province coastline

The measure includes cockles, mussels and clams

Argentina’s province of Buenos Aires re-confirmed on Friday the total ban of commercial, artisan and/or visitors’ extraction of bi-valve molluscs along the South Atlantic coast of the province.

Following a new monitoring of bi-valve molluscs and phytoplankton samples in different referential points of the South Atlantic coast, laboratory analysis undertaken by the National Food Health and Quality Service, Senasa, indicate the positive presence of toxins in the molluscs at higher concentrations than considered acceptable for human consumption.

The Agriculture and Fisheries office from the Buenos Aires province thus recommends the non extraction and non consumption of mussels, clams and cockles until a new official situation analysis is released.

The toxins identified in the bi-valve molluscs’ samples resulted positive to human diarrheic and severe dehydration symptoms.

The ban has been enforced now for several weeks.