Oyster disease could mean serious problems for Canadian growers

An oyster grower says the discovery of Malepeque disease on one of his aquaculture farms in the Bras d’Or Lakes near Orangedale could put him out of business.

Bill MacLean says the disease has already killed 90 per cent of the oysters on the one farm where it was found and, depending on its spread, is a threat to his other nearby leases.

“It is really an awful shock,” MacLean said Monday.

MacLean said he has already lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of oysters.

He grows his own oysters on four leases at Alba Oyster Farms and buys oysters from local leaseholders and fishermen for his small processing facility.

MacLean has been trying to harvest all of the oysters he can from the one farm where the disease was discovered, hoping to keep it from spreading to his other three leases.

Nova Scotia Fisheries officials will probably want to wipe the infected farm out if they find it is the only one hit by the disease, he suggested.

“If it’s already spread, that’s not going to work.”

Malepeque disease, which has been discovered in the Orangedale area of the Bras d’Or Lakes and St. Ann’s Harbour, can destroy oyster beds but there are no human health concerns, according to the Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

When Malepeque disease hit P.E.I., New Brunswick and the Gulf of St. Lawrence area of Nova Scotia in 1915, it depleted oyster stocks by as much as 90 per cent.

Oyster stocks did rebound as the stocks developed a tolerance to the infection but MacLean noted it can take 20 years unless there is some government intervention.

The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department has started collecting samples to discern how widespread the disease is before making too many decisions.

Malepeque disease also has a very long 18-24 month incubation period, meaning the monitoring will continue for several years.

MacLean called on the government to step in with some financial assistance to help the oyster industry and to take steps to rebuild the oysters stocks, which are still struggling to recover from MSX disease.

Nova Scotia has helped the land-based agricultural industry during times of crisis and the aquaculture industry should get the same consideration, he said.

“Unless the government is going to step in and help out, I can’t see how it is going to be too good.”

Oyster farming is an environmentally friendly industry which contributes to the health of the Bras d’Or Lakes, he said.

“There is a much bigger issue. The government is going to have to think about the health of the lake too.”