The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism informed that the results of monitoring reports and laboratory analysis conducted on the 4th of February found that the phenomenon of red tide was detected in the offshore waters, which is 40 kilometres from the Muara waters. Following this, the public is advised not to use water in the affected areas, as it contains organisms that produce toxins that are harmful to humans.

The public, especially fishermen, are advised not to fish or collect shellfish in affected waters, and not to consume fish found dead in national waters. As a precautionary measure, the public is reminded to remove all gills, stomachs and internal organs from fish before cooking, and not to eat small fish that cannot be gilled, stomachs and internal organs removed and shellfish from affected areas or of unknown origin.

The Department will continue to monitor the red tide incident and inform the public on the latest situation from time to time. The public, especially fishermen and fish cage operators, can report any incident of water discoloration or if they find large numbers of dead fish in the country's waters and beaches via the hotline 277 0066 during working hours or via email 'enquiry@fisheries.gov.bn'. The public is also advised not to disseminate any information that has not been officially confirmed by the authorities.