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Bob MacLeod, president of the P.E.I. Shellfish Association, says in the nearly 50 years he has been fishing, he has never seen the oyster industry in the state that it’s in today. (Rob LeClair/CBC)

MSX, or multinucleate sphere unknown, was first discovered in P.E.I. waters in July 2024. One year later, dermo, another highly damaging disease to the mollusks, was discovered in Egmont Bay.

Neither disease poses any risk for human consumption, but they can be highly deadly to oysters.

Martin O’Brien, president of the P.E.I. Oyster Processors Association, said that since MSX was first discovered in Bedeque Bay more than a year ago, the industry hasn’t seen much movement towards a solution.

“We’re still kind of in the same stage,” he said, adding that some growers are ready to walk away from the business entirely.

“The majority of their product is dying. The little bit that they have, they can’t sell it. Their banking institutions are saying their payments are due… So that’s a pretty dire situation.”

Martin O’Brien, president of the P.E.I. Oyster Processors Association, says the industry is in a ‘dire situation.’ (Rob LeClair/CBC)

With oysters dying off in large numbers for some — up to 90 per cent, in some cases — and sales falling for others, officials say people’s livelihoods are at risk.

“Families cannot live on nothing for an entire season. No farmer could live on nothing and not being able to sell their crop,” said Peter Warris, executive director of P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance.

“Luckily for land farmers, they have that kind of support at the moment. Our members, farmers of the sea, need those supports.”

Warris said talks with the province have gone well, but there are no firm commitments on financial aid for the oyster industry yet.

Peter Warris, executive director P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, says oyster growers need the same kind of supports land farmers have. (Rob LeClair/CBC)

“It’s difficult to speak to exactly what the supports are going to be without an official word, you know, a signature on a piece of paper somewhere to say that this is actually moving forwards,” he said.

“So it’s a long, frustrating wait for these supports to come into effect, especially for those growers who are being so heavily impacted.”

“Those commitments will give us hope, will give us a bit of courage to keep moving forward.”– Martin O’Brien, P.E.I. Oyster Processors Association

There are different needs within the industry.

Those in the wild oyster fishery want to see the creation of micro-hatcheries and a larger hatchery to help distribute MSX-resistant seed.

They’re also asking to have the number of eligible employment insurance weeks extended to support fishers through the crisis

A drone camera captures an image of a wild oyster fisherman using tongs to grasp oysters on the sea bottom. (Aaron Adetuyi/CBC)

Other top priorities for oyster growers include:

• Interest relief and loan payment suspensions from Finance P.E.I. and banks.
• The same financial relief and risk management programs that agriculture farmers receive.
• Wage subsidies to offset extra expenses.
• Support for processors buying and holding oysters waiting to go to market.

“If we get programs that are committed to our industry, those commitments will give us hope, will give us a bit of courage to keep moving forward,” said O’Brien.

“[We can] keep employing people, stay on the Island, you know, because the oyster industry brought people back from Alberta, right? So we don’t want people… to leave the province again.”

‘We need to prop it up’

In an email to CBC News, the province said it hasn’t been until recently that the oyster industry has been able to gain a clearer picture of the financial impact of MSX and dermo.

It said that, to date, $2.72 million in initiatives have been approved under P.E.I.’s Aquaculture Contingency Fund.

“We remain committed to working closely with industry partners and the federal government to ensure that support is targeted, timely, and effective, recognizing that both levels of government have a role to play in supporting the industry with financial assistance,” the statement reads.

O’Brien said one of the hardest things to think about is the effect on the next generation of oyster harvesters.

“How does that look for my kids in the future?” he said. “It’s an industry we want on the Island here. We don’t want people walking away from it and … we need to prop it up until we get there.”

Source: CBC News. Original article available here.