Thousands of Oysters from local restaurants cure in the sun, July 24, in Violet, La.Stephen Smith/The Associated Press
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Prince Edward Island have confirmed the “devastating” spread of a deadly parasite for oysters at three aquaculture sites across the island and are warning about serious effects on the lucrative top-producing shellfish industry.
In a joint statement released Wednesday evening, CFIA and the province said multinuclear sphere X – or MSX – is found on the western, central and eastern parts of the island, including Boughton River, an area in Southwest River and New London Bay, and a stretch between Lennox Island and Black Banks.
These areas, in addition to Bedeque Bay which had restrictions placed on it last week, are now all declared primary control zones under the Health of Animals Act, which means oysters, boats and equipment, as well as marine plants that have been in contact with oysters, can only be moved in and out of the area with a permit issued by the CFIA.
“This is a devastating time for our industry and the department is actively engaging with industry groups to identify how best the province can provide support,” PEI’s Minister of Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture, Cory Deagle, said in a statement provided to The Globe and Mail on Thursday.
“The province is committed to being there for the industry in both the short-term and long-term as we navigate a path forward.”
The PEI oyster industry harvested 14 million pounds of oysters last year, sold domestically in Ontario and Quebec or exported to the United States or other markets, according to the PEI Aquaculture Alliance Board. The province, with a population of just 177,000, produces 70 per cent of all oysters sold in Atlantic Canada.
This disease, which has an up to 95-per-cent mortality rate for oysters, poses no known risk to humans.
Brian Lewis, the owner of the oyster farming and processing business Future Seafoods Inc., said the latest results show the parasite has infected the whole island, but he cautioned that, so far, the die-off in Bedeque Bay – one of the largest producing areas for oysters in the wild fishery – has only affected about 10 to 12 per cent of the shellfish.
“I’m not as concerned yet until I see more evidence of it,” he said, adding that it’s fishers and growers like him that would see mortalities first. “If it’s not killing them, then it’s not as severe as everyone thinks. But if we’re looking at mass death all over Prince Edward Island, then yeah, we got a serious problem.”
Mr. Lewis said he’s taken preventative measures to stop the potential spread since the parasite was first detected in Bedeque Bay earlier this month, not moving any oysters from bay to bay, scrubbing boats and disinfecting equipment.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, the disease killed huge numbers of oysters in Delaware and Chesapeake Bays. It’s been detected from Florida to Maine and has occurred in Nova Scotia and British Columbia. It isn’t known to have occurred in PEI until now. The province has been surveilling for it since 2019.
Just how it’s transmitted is unknown but in favourable salinities, and in temperatures above 10 C, it can spread rapidly over wide areas.
Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, who represents the riding of Cardigan, PEI, said he’s monitoring the situation, according to a statement provided by spokesperson Annie Cullinan.
“The oyster industry is an integral and iconic part of the island economy and countless islanders depend on it to earn their living,” Ms. Cullinan wrote.
Currently, the provincial and federal governments are testing oysters from other bodies of water on the island, and other sites have been placed under quarantine as a temporary measure until test results come back.
Peter Warris, executive director of the PEI Aquaculture Alliance Board, told The Globe the board represents 130 oyster farmers and processors who are determined to adapt and continue operating, as other markets stricken by the parasite have done in the past.
“I think there’s some uncertainty, but there’s also a determination that things are going to continue,” he said.
PEI oysters, comprised of both a wild fishery and aquaculture, are the second most valued shellfish on the island.
In 2019, 31.7 per cent of the national economic value of oysters came from PEI – or $54.24-million, according to a provincial study. This makes PEI one of Canada’s most important oyster producers in dollar terms despite being the second biggest producer in quantity produced, behind only B.C.