The PEI oyster industry harvested 14 million pounds of oysters last year, sold domestically in Ontario and Quebec or exported to the U.S. or other markets.Prince Edward Island’s oyster growers are on tenterhooks as they await test results to confirm if a parasite that is deadly for oysters has spread to any of the 800 leaseholders who farm along the island’s north and south shores.
The CFIA has taken ten survey samples from areas linked to Bedeque Bay. So far, of the four samples that have been reported on, three are presumptively positive and require further genetic testing, said the industry group. The leases linked to Bedeque Bay have been placed under quarantine while more testing is under way. The CFIA is also investigating an oyster mortality reported in the Mill River area of western PEI on a public fishing bed.
There’s uncertainty about the situation will affect the industry going forward, he said. “It’s not the end of anything but it’s a significant adaptation to a new set of circumstances,” he said. It’s unknown exactly how MSX is transmitted, though it’s suspected to travel through other organisms, according to the province, which produced a fact sheet on the infection. The origin of the parasite in Bedeque Bay is unknown but an investigation is under way.