This comment came from Simon Francis Blaise R. Bistro, a fellow blogger.

Before bangus (milkfish) fish cage operator rush and exchange their
fish nets into bamboo poles for “tahong” cultivation. It would be
enlightening to read some facts about the said shellfish.

The Philippine green mussel or “tahong” as it is locally known is
the only species of mussel farmed commercially in some areas in the
Philippines. It is known scientifically as Perna viridis.

P. viridis is commercial important because of rapid growth rate and
high population densities (Rajagopal et al. 1997). The green mussel is
also a good candidate for cultivation because reproduction can be induced
throughout the entire year (Sivalingam, 1977; Coeroli et al., 1984).
The mussel can also be transplanted from one environment to another with
little adverse effects(Parulekar et al., 1982).

Salinity tolerance: The high growth rate of the green mussel is related
to high salinity and an abundance of phytoplankton(Chatterji et al.
1984). According to Sivalingam (1977), the bivalve has a 50% salinity
tolerance between 24 and 80 ppt. The green mussel has a high tolerance for
reduced salinities, increased survival during atmospheric exposure, and
high survival rates in turbid water (Morton, 1987).

Temperature tolerance: Chatterji et al. (1984), also demonstrated that
growth was significantly affected by temperature. According to
Sivalingam (1977), between temperatures of 10-35°C the green mussel is 50%
temperature tolerant.

The bivalve has also been used as an indicator of biopollution of heavy
metals, organochlorines, and petroleum hydrocarbons (Bryan, 1976).
According to Philips (1980), and IOC (1981), P. viridis is one of the best
mussel species to test for biopollution.

The impact potential of a species is expressed in terms of their actual
(or potential) impact to human health, economic and environmental
impacts. P. viridis has been categorised as one of ten potentially most
damaging species. The potential international target species are
prioritised by their location in the invasion potential/impact potential space.
P. viridis has been categorised as 'High priority'. (Hayes et al. 2005)

Threat to humans: They can be carriers of diseases and parasites
harmful to native species. P. viridis has also been recorded with high levels
of accumulated toxins and heavy metals and is linked to shellfish
poisoning in humans.

Personally, this is a cause of alarm rather than an applause for the
apparent economic benefits because “tahong” is not known to be
endemic in the waters of Bolinao. Their proliferation and species adaptation
in the area would mean that there is high pollution in the waters of
Bolinao (due to irresponsible Bangus fish culturing?).