By Spencer Sterritt

Second V.I. oyster crisis slows as shellfish farmers try to assess the damage

May 3, 2018 | 5:51 PM

NANAIMO — In the wake of a second disease-related crisis, B.C.’s oyster industry is struggling to overcome a tarnished reputation.

“A lot of the small farms are being put into a very precarious situation and may have to consider alternatives,” B.C. Shellfish Growers’ Association executive director Darlene Winterburn told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Four oyster farms in the Baynes Sound area were closed this year as a precaution after more than 170 people in Canada and 100 in California were afflicted with gastrointestinal illness from a norovirus. It’s a similar situation to an outbreak in late 2016 and early 2017, when the industry was laid low by an eating advisory over the norovirus.

Winterburn said the industry lost more than $9 million last year, roughly 20 per cent of overall sales, due to concerned eaters not buying shellfish.

“It’s significant because a lot of people haven’t recovered from last time, it’s significant because branding is being affected and it’s significant because the uncertainty is making particularly small guys very hesitant to reinvest,” she said.  

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Though the current outbreak is nearly finished, with the last person reported sick in mid-April, Winterburn said it’s too early to predict how devastated the industry will be this year.

She said wide-spread reports and misinformation blaming all B.C. oysters for the sickness significantly hampered their bottom line for the roughly 350 shellfish farms in the province.

“In many areas it’s business as normal because there weren’t any precautionary closures, yet their sales are down,” she said.

The norovirus enters the oysters from human sewage dumped into the water. Winterburn said she and investigators are narrowing in on the source of the problem. Unfortunately, the issue falls into a jurisdictional grey area.

“Human effluent from a vessel, it’s Transport Canada. Effluent from a septic tank is the municipality. It’s all over the place.”

She said once the suspected source is located, the association can take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“This is a good produce grown in the beautiful waters that surround our island. We just need to be more cognizant of what we’re doing and what we’re putting in the water.”

Until then, Winterburn said they’ll do everything they can to show the public shellfish are still safe to eat. She said they’ll be out in full force at the BC Seafood Festival in the Comox Valley, which runs from June 8 to 17.

— with files from the Canadian Press

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit