Latest news with #dermoDisease
CBC
05-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
'It's a pretty scary time': Oyster industry on edge after dermo found in Egmont Bay
The president of the P.E.I. Shellfish Association says the oyster industry is rightfully concerned about the first case of dermo disease in P.E.I. But Bob MacLeod said there is no reason for panic. "It's a pretty scary time for our industry right now," MacLeod said Saturday. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced on Friday that lab tests confirmed the presence of dermo — a highly damaging mollusc disease — in oysters from P.E.I.'s Egmont Bay. As a result, the CFIA could take control of how oysters are handled and shipped in that area to help limit the spread of the disease. MacLeod said that areas closing down will make fishers have to move to other rivers, which can cost them more money. "It affects every other fisherman on the Island because everyone's got to make a living, so everyone's gotta move around," he said. "It either affects that you gotta share … your river or it affects your cost because you have to travel further." There were approximately 600-700 licensed oyster fishers on P.E.I. as of October 2024, and many more wild oyster fishers, including MacLeod. "Even if it's a river that I don't fish in, somebody fishes in it." Moving forward The discovery of dermo in Island oysters comes one year after MSX, short for multinucleate sphere unknown, was discovered in Bedeque Bay. More cases were confirmed elsewhere in the province in the months that followed. "It's really challenging, hard on the head, very stressful and a lot of people's struggling over this," said MacLeod. He says the association's main objective is to enhance the industry, but that's difficult because of how limited they are in moving oysters from one area to another. He hopes the government will step up to support and compensate Island fishers. "Everyone's self-employed in this, and it's not the fault of the fishermen that these diseases [are] here," he said. With the right support, and some time, he thinks the industry can get past this hurdle. "We're talking a few years down the road to bring it back, but we can bring it back cause we have various [areas] not hit yet.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
First case of dermo disease detected in N.L. oysters
Federal food safety officials say they've confirmed the first case of dermo disease in oysters from Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a disease caused by the parasite Perkinsus marinus, and can cause significant mortality of both cultured and wild oysters, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website. The first case in Canada was found in November in New Brunswick, and it has since been found in oysters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The CFIA says the disease has now been detected in oyster samples from Notre Dame Bay, N.L. On May 30 CFIA issued a quarantine order at Notre Dame Bay Mussel Farms Inc. due to dermo's detection. "The company is cooperating and complying with all regulatory orders and is following government-approved policies for reporting," said the notice. The parasite doesn't pose a risk to human health or food safety, but the agency says the illness can cause increased oyster mortality and decreased growth rates as it can spread from oyster to oyster and also through water contaminated with the parasite. The CFIA says it's working with the province and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to increase oyster monitoring, control the movement of oysters in the area and look for the source of the illness.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
First case of dermo disease detected in Newfoundland and Labrador oysters
Oysters harvested in Canada are seen at Bryan Szeliga's Fishtown Seafood in Haddonfield, N.J., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP, Matt Rourke) Federal food safety officials say they have confirmed the first case of dermo disease in oysters from Newfoundland and Labrador. Inspectors detected Canada's first case of the disease in November in New Brunswick, and it has since been found in oysters from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the disease has now been detected in oyster samples from Notre Dame Bay, N.L. The CFIA notes the parasite doesn't pose a risk to human health or food safety, but says the illness can cause increased oyster mortality and decreased growth rates. It says dermo, also known as perkinosis, can spread from oyster to oyster and also through water contaminated with the parasite. The agency says it's working with the province and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to increase oyster monitoring, control the movement of oysters in the area and look for the source of the illness. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025. The Canadian Press
