The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the further spread of a parasite threatening Prince Edward Island's lucrative oyster industry.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the further spread of a parasite threatening Prince Edward Island’s lucrative oyster industry.
The agency recently updated an online map, showing new detections in waters in and around East River and Rustico, and all of Malpeque Bay.
As well, more recent detections have been reported, including from Rice Point to Wood Islands on the Island’s south shore.
The parasite, known as MSX – short for multinucleate sphere X – reduces the lifespan of oysters but it poses no risk to human health, which means the oysters remain safe to eat.
Typically, the parasite kills oysters that are at least two years old, with mortality rates as high as 95 per cent within two to three years of the initial infection.
Peter Warris, executive director of the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, says MSX can be present in an area for a number of years without causing any issues, but he confirmed today that oysters are already dying in Bedeque Bay along the Island’s south shore.