There were concerns in the legislature about the coming oyster season and the ongoing threat of MSX.
MSX, or multinuclear sphere X, was first detected in Island waters in July 2024. While harmless to humans, the parasite is deadly to oysters. Initially contained to a few areas, MSX has now spread widely along P.E.I.’s coastlines, threatening the province’s oyster industry.
PC MLA Hilton MacLennan said it may already be too late to save the season.
“I guess Enmore pretty well looks like a write-off. Bedeque Bay is being considered as a write-off,” MacLennan said in the legislature Tuesday.
“Fishermen are pulling the stocks, the stocks are being pulled up now, and it looks like anywhere from 40 to 50 per cent mortality rate. We aren’t even into the warm weather yet.”
MacLennan questioned Fisheries Minister Zack Bell on what actions the minister has taken to ease the fears of oyster fishers.
In response, Bell pointed to the province’s recently announced $3-million aquaculture contingency fund, included in the 2025-26 operating budget. It is aimed at helping the oyster industry respond and recover from threats like MSX.
Some of that money will go toward research and development and upskilling fishers, and some will go to compensation, Bell said.
“The mortalities have not been great. We are telling anyone that is going out in the water — whether they’re bringing up their cages or bringing up their stocks — to provide us with that information,” he said.
“We do have that $3-million contingency fund. We’re in the process with programs. We want to make sure that we have all of the accurate information that we have before we bring these programs up.”
Hatcheries up and running
Earlier this year, provincial officials and oyster industry leaders visited the U.S. state of Virginia to meet with industry members and researchers, and learn more about tackling MSX.
Bell said one key takeaway from the trip was the importance of hatcheries.
“We have the hatcheries up and running right now. We have been supplying seed to them, and again, we are going to continue to do that,” the minister said.
“We are still learning from, you know, that [mission], and we do want to help out in any way that we can, help the hatcheries and the nurseries to try to grow more product here on the Island.”
MacLennan added that besides hatcheries, experts also emphasized the need to invest in upskilling industry professionals to ensure they are prepared to handle risks and maintain best practices and procedures in order for P.E.I.’s agriculture industry to remain strong and healthy in these turbulent times.
He asked Bell if the department had spoken with either the Department of Workforce or the oyster industry about training oyster fishers.
Bell responded that those conversations are ongoing — both with the provincial department and with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
While the federal government is currently in caretaker mode because of the ongoing election, Bell said the province will continue to advocate for P.E.I.’s oyster industry.
