SEREMBAN: The public is asked not to be afraid to buy and eat mussels from the Port Dickson waters following the decrease in biotoxins that have been confirmed to safe levels.
Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the public need not worry because a study has been conducted for six to eight months.
“The ban on harvesting and selling mussels has been lifted. It is safe to eat mussels in Port Dickson,” he said at the press conference after the weekly exco meeting here on Wednesday (Aug 14).
“We hope that the rivers and sea are protected from pollution.”
Last Saturday, Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said that the Fisheries Department had lifted the ban on the harvesting and sale of shellfish, including mussels, in the waters of Port Dickson and Melaka following a drop in biotoxins to a safe level.
Laboratory monitoring and analysis revealed that the 15th sample’s biotoxin readings decreased to below 400 per billion (ppb).
On April 4, the department’s deputy director-general (management), Wan Aznan Abdullah, said the results of laboratory analysis at the Kuala Lumpur Fisheries Biosecurity Centre found that harmful algae had contaminated the mussels in Port Dickson’s waters and made it unsafe to eat.
Meanwhile, Aminudddin said he had asked the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS), the District and Land Office, to resolve the flood issue involving several areas in Port Dickson.
“I was also informed that there was a burst bund during the flooding due to the heavy rain and that the cleaning-up works had started today in Lukut up to Sungai Bukit Palong.
“The Public Works Department will also ensure that drainage is not blocked at the Lukut intersection, which is one of the causes of flooding,” he said.
“Deepening and upgrading the river needs to be done immediately to avoid flooding and making the area impassable for vehicles,” he added. – Bernama
