Oyster parasite MSX found in more locations on P.E.I.
CBC
The oyster parasite MSX has been detected in more prominent oyster growing and harvesting areas on P.E.I., says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
MSX in an oyster will have no impact on a person that eats it, but the parasite tends to kill oysters before they are ready to harvest.
The first discovery of the parasite on the Island was in mid-July in Bedeque Bay. Later that month it was also found in Boughton River and a stretch of the North Shore west of Malpeque Bay, and then in Darnley Bay in August.
The new detections are in East River, Malpeque Bay and Rustico.
"Based on the current diagnostic and epidemiological evidence, it's shown that MSX is present or highly likely to be present in numerous bays and rivers across the marine waters of P.E.I.," said Kathy Brewer-Dalton at CFIA.
She said the new discoveries reduce the options for the industry to manage the disease.
More primary control zones could be created to prevent the movement of oysters from infected areas to non-infected areas, but the permits and red tape required for that plan could be difficult for the industry on a day-to-day basis.
The other option would be to declare the Island as a whole.
Areas of the American northeast have experience with MSX going back to the 1950s.
One marine scientist described MSX as a sledgehammer that can kill 80 to 90 per cent of oysters in a population.
But oyster populations build up resistance to the parasite over time, and that process can be accelerated by importing and farming oyster spat from areas where it is endemic. Maine had success with this strategy when MSX arrived off its shores in 2002.
P.E.I. is still planning how it will deal with the disease.
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