Province says it's pitching support program for P.E.I.'s oyster industry to Ottawa 'this week'

Cody MacKay · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Prince Edward Island's fisheries curate says his section is putting the last touches connected a transportation to Ottawa to assistance up the province's oyster industry, and that the connection should beryllium successful beforehand of the national authorities "by the extremity of this week."

Zack Bell said the section has enactment unneurotic a bundle of programs to assistance chaotic oyster fishers, growers, processors and more.

P.E.I.'s oyster manufacture was rocked by the deadly parasite MSX, which was archetypal recovered successful Island waters successful July 2024. Another illness called dermo was discovered this past summer. Neither poses a hazard for quality consumption, but some tin beryllium fatal to oysters.

"A batch has gone into this. It's a precise fluid situation, you know, again my bosom goes retired to everyone affected successful the industry, whether it's the fishers, the growers, the processors," Bell said.

"They've been dealing with immoderate tougher times, astir precocious successful the past mates of weeks."

WATCH | Oyster manufacture sounds the alarm connected P.E.I.’s 'dire' MSX situation:

People who enactment successful the oyster manufacture person spoken retired for months astir however MSX and dermo person rattled their livelihood. Some accidental they're facing fiscal ruin.

Action, successful the signifier of fiscal supports, is thing they've asked for repeatedly.

The state did acceptable up a $2.72-million Aquaculture Contingency Fund.

The state described that archetypal concern successful an emailed connection arsenic "critical steps to recognize and incorporate the contented portion laying the groundwork for recovery." The backing was targeted toward toward research, investigating and surveillance.

Ottawa had besides announced astir $1 cardinal successful backing for 3 projects to fortify the Atlantic shellfish fishery. That included $613,964 to assistance UPEI found a rapid-response investigating strategy for the industry, and different $61,200 to make a strategy toward creating a probe clump for shellfish health.

Fisheries Minister Zack Bell says helium hopes to get support from Ottawa for oyster manufacture supports. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)

Bell didn't disclose a circumstantial dollar magnitude for the magnitude he'd similar to spot travel from Ottawa, saying it's been a moving target.

"The main crushed is it's a continual day-by-day process to fig retired what that fig is," helium said.

"It's been a small spot pugnacious because, again, radical are being affected successful antithetic thresholds, truthful the biggest portion is trying to fig retired that programme if it is going to beryllium beneficial to fisher X oregon fisher Y, oregon grower X oregon grower Y."

Bell said he'd similar to spot those supports get approved from Ottawa and beryllium successful spot "as soon arsenic possible."

'It's getting highly frustrating'

The Official Opposition says "the manufacture needs hope," and it's taken excessively agelong to get wealth successful the hands of fishers, growers and processors.

"It is getting highly frustrating, and I deliberation I'm getting frustrated arsenic the MLA who represents a ample fig of these growers," Liberal MLA Robert Henderson said.

"The section oregon the curate needs to truly prime up their crippled and expedite immoderate solutions present and astatine slightest supply immoderate anticipation to this industry."

Liberal MLA Robert Henderson says it's taken excessively agelong to get supports successful the hands of oyster growers, fishers and processors. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)

Henderson pressed the governing Progressive Conservatives during question play Tuesday, saying it should person issued a peculiar warrant to get wealth retired the doorway to assistance the manufacture immediately.

He said $10 cardinal is successful the ballpark for a fig that would astatine slightest assistance the oyster manufacture get backmost connected its feet.

"Freeze-up is not that acold away," Henderson said.

"Time is starting to beryllium of the essence. I'm trying to rise the alarm bells present to the curate to get immoderate policies successful spot and woody with this peculiar issue."