CHARLOTTETOWN 鈥� Prince Edward Island's oyster industry is calling for more research and government action to help with the spread of a parasite in the province that is threatening the future of the sector.
Representatives from P.E.I.'s oyster industry told a legislature committee hearing on Thursday that harvesters worry about whether the parasite multinucleate sphere unknown 鈥� also known as MSX 鈥� will destroy their livelihoods.
MSX targets both wild and cultured oysters, and typically kills about 95 per cent of affected mollusks within two to three years of the initial infection.
Bob MacLeod, president of the P.E.I. Shellfish Association, said he would like to see researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island study ways of protecting the oysters from infection, and launch a nursery habitat for the mollusks.
He also says the provincial government should draw up a compensation plan for oyster farmers for this spring.
Peter Warris, executive director of the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, says the oyster industry in the United States is successfully managing the spread of MSX, adding there is no reason the province can't do that too.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.
The Canadian Press
