MLA raises alarm over high oyster mortalities linked to MSX ahead of season

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 8:08 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

There were concerns successful the legislature astir the coming oyster play and the ongoing menace of MSX.

MSX, oregon multinuclear sphere X, was archetypal detected successful Island waters successful July 2024. While harmless to humans, the parasite is deadly to oysters. Initially contained to a fewer areas, MSX has present dispersed wide on P.E.I.'s coastlines, threatening the province's oyster industry.

PC MLA Hilton MacLennan said it whitethorn already beryllium excessively precocious to prevention the season.

"I conjecture Enmore beauteous good looks similar a write-off. Bedeque Bay is being considered arsenic a write-off," MacLennan said successful the legislature Tuesday.

"Fishermen are pulling the stocks, the stocks are being pulled up now, and it looks similar anyplace from 40 to 50 per cent mortality rate. We aren't adjacent into the lukewarm upwind yet."

MacLennan questioned Fisheries Minister Zack Bell connected what actions the curate has taken to easiness the fears of oyster fishers.

In response, Bell pointed to the province's precocious announced $3-million aquaculture contingency fund, included successful the 2025-26 operating budget. It is aimed astatine helping the oyster manufacture respond and retrieve from threats similar MSX.

Some of that wealth volition spell toward probe and improvement and upskilling fishers, and immoderate volition spell to compensation, Bell said.

"The mortalities person not been great. We are telling anyone that is going retired successful the h2o — whether they're bringing up their cages oregon bringing up their stocks — to supply america with that information," helium said.

"We bash person that $3-million contingency fund. We're successful the process with programs. We privation to marque definite that we person each of the close accusation that we person earlier we bring these programs up."

Hatcheries up and running

Earlier this year, provincial officials and oyster manufacture leaders visited the U.S. authorities of Virginia to conscionable with manufacture members and researchers, and larn much astir tackling MSX.

Bell said 1 cardinal takeaway from the travel was the value of hatcheries.

"We person the hatcheries up and moving close now. We person been supplying effect to them, and again, we are going to proceed to bash that," the curate said.

"We are inactive learning from, you know, that [mission], and we bash privation to assistance retired successful immoderate mode that we can, assistance the hatcheries and the nurseries to effort to turn much merchandise present connected the Island."

MacLennan added that too hatcheries, experts besides emphasized the request to put successful upskilling industry professionals to guarantee they are prepared to grip risks and support champion practices and procedures successful bid for P.E.I.'s agriculture manufacture to stay beardown and steadfast successful these turbulent times.

He asked Bell if the section had spoken with either the Department of Workforce oregon the oyster manufacture astir grooming oyster fishers.

Bell responded that those conversations are ongoing — some with the provincial department and with the national Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

While the national authorities is presently successful caretaker mode due to the fact that of the ongoing election, Bell said the state volition proceed to advocator for P.E.I.'s oyster industry.