However, Negeri Sembilan fisheries department director Kasim Tawe said the ban on harvesting or consuming mussels and shellfish in the area remained in force pending further monitoring.

“The biotoxin levels have fallen just below the danger mark, but we need a little more time to take additional samples to ensure that they remain low and stable.

“For now, the ban on harvesting and consuming them remains in place. We will be taking samples weekly to ensure that the biotoxin levels are completely safe,” he told Bernama today.

Kasim was previously reported as saying that operators and farmers using the mussel stake and cage system from Sungai Sekawang to Tanjung Teluk, Pasir Panjang, had been instructed to temporarily stop harvesting shellfish from Port Dickson waters with immediate effect.

He said the ban would remain in place until the department’s investigation was complete, and advised the public not to consume shellfish from the area to avoid the risk of food poisoning.