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This article was written by Shane Ross and Wayne Thibodeau and originally published by CBC News on July 16, 2024 at 6:04PM ADT. We are sharing the full text here for reference. All rights remain with the original publisher.

Owner of Future Seafoods is concerned about the potential spread of MSX

Staff at Future Seafoods in Fernwood, P.E.I., prepare oysters from areas other than Bedeque Bay for shipping. (Ken Linton/CBC)

The owner of Future Seafoods in Fernwood, P.E.I., is worried he’ll have to shut down his plant and lay off employees if he can no longer ship oysters from Bedeque Bay.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, or DFO, closed the bay to shellfish harvesting because of a large rainfall in June, and the area has remained closed since the discovery of the parasite MSX in wild oysters from the Bedeque area.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says MSX is not harmful to humans, and the oysters are safe to eat.

But Erskine Lewis of Future Seafoods still can’t ship oysters to his wholesalers in Montreal, Ottawa and Boston.

“We’re still closed down here and we really don’t understand why…. Our food inspection agency cleared this area to be able to ship out of, and DFO has not released it to be shipped out of, so I don’t have a reason why they haven’t.”

In a statement to CBC News, the CFIA said oysters from Bedeque Bay can’t be shipped because of a prohibition order in place under the Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations.

That order will remain until there are measures in place to contain and control the risk of MSX spreading, the federal agency said.

“The CFIA is working in collaboration with DFO and the Province of P.E.I to put a Primary Control Zone in place for the Bedeque Bay area, which will provide the necessary controls and permitting for movement of products outside of the area to enable the industry to function, while still protecting oyster populations outside of the affected area,” the statement said.

In addition to setting up the control zone, CFIA said its main goal is to complete testing to gauge how far MSX may have spread.

Crates of dead oysters

Lewis believes the parasite has spread, based on the crates of dead oysters he has in his plant that came from other harvesting areas around the Island.

Erskine Lewis says that if MSX wipes out the P.E.I. oyster industry, he won’t be around when it recovers — if it ever does. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)

“I’m fearful of MSX in another location, but we aren’t sure,” he said, noting that oysters can die from other, less serious causes.

This is the first time MSX has been detected in P.E.I. waters, and there’s a lot that is unknown about it. The parasite wiped out entire oyster stocks in parts of the United States in the 1950s but had never been spotted north of Maine until it was detected in Cape Breton in 2002. It has negatively affected that part of the Nova Scotia fishery for 20 years.

Kim Gill, acting director of aquaculture for P.E.I., said the prospect of MSX arriving on the Island has been a concern ever since it was detected in Cape Breton.

“We’ve been aware of it, and very worried about it since 2002… Was it an environmental change, was it something in the oysters that triggered it? We really have no idea when it comes to why it actually showed up right now.”

Government prepared to help

P.E.I. Fisheries Minister Cory Deagle said the province is prepared to provide financial help if  needed.

“I just want everyone to know that we will be there to support the fishers and the growers and the processors. There is probably a short term and a long term of what this is going to look like. We’re still assessing.”

Testing continues, but Lewis fears crates of dead oysters may be a sign MSX has spread to other waters. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)

More test results from the CFIA are expected later this week.

The uncertainty has Lewis worried for the future of the industry — and his livelihood. He said he’s getting too old to switch careers.

“At my age, if it takes as long as what they say to rebuild from this, if it is MSX and it kills off this industry, I won’t be in it when it recovers.”

Source: CBC News. Original article available here.