Audio by De Clarke; Research & text by Roy L Hales;

There has been a flurry of media stories about the dangers of eating raw oysters lately, but Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) confirmed that there have been no problems with Cortes Island grown oysters. (And there have been no problems anywhere with cooked oysters.) Only one of the 8 emergency closures DF0 listed, in response to Cortes Currents request, is in the Discovery Islands. A DFO notice from December 23 states, “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has received reports of illness linked to BC Aquaculture Tenure Landfile #1402974” in the Bold Island-Crescent Channel area between Quadra and Read Islands. The other 7 oyster closures pertained to 42 ‘Landfiles’ in the Baynes Sound area across from Denman Island. 

Mo Qutob, Communications Advisor with Fisheries & Oceans Canada, emailed that all of the closures he listed were in force as of December 31, 2024. 

“The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has received illness reports linked to aquaculture tenures in British Columbia and has recommended emergency closures for certain aquaculture tenures within Pacific Fisheries Management Areas 13 and 14.”

The Crescent Channel tenure mentioned above is in Management Area 13 (Subarea 13-12), and the Baynes Sound closures were in Management Area 14 (Subareas 14-8 and 14-15).

Two of the Landfiles mentioned In DF0’s December 19, 2024, closure notice (#1402293, #1413888), were also in US reports about people being infected with Norovirus after eating ‘raw oysters from British Columbia.’ The associated DFO notice mentions ‘multiple reports of illness’ and lists closures to 13 Landfiles in the Baynes Sound area.

A second closure notice, issued the same day, lists closures to another 18 Landfiles in the Baynes Sound area. 

An extensive list of these and subsequent closure notices is at the bottom of this page. 

Qutob: “The Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP) is a federal food safety program jointly administered by the CFIA, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and DFO. The goal of the program is to minimize the health risks associated with the consumption of contaminated bivalve molluscan shellfish such as mussels, oysters and clams.”

“As partners in the CSSP, CFIA conducts testing for biotoxins and ECCC conducts water quality sampling. DFO’s role as partner in the CSSP is to enact fishery openings and closures based on recommendations from CFIA and ECCC. Please reach out to those agencies for specific information concerning biotoxins and water quality sampling.”

“DFO’s mandate under the CSSP is to manage shellfish harvest (e.g., to close and open areas, patrol closures) and provide support to illness investigations.”

Appendix: Closure Notices in our Area As Of Dec 31  

Qutob: “There are two types of closures: biotoxin and sanitary. Harvesting is not permitted if either or both closure types are in effect, and closures change often throughout the year for conservation or public health reasons.”

1. West side of Denman Island, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-8 including BC Landfiles #0251275, #1409454, #0262525, #0227036, #1402293, #1411178, #0262501, #1402294, #1402446, #1403230, #0298458, #1413888 and #1405492. See Fishery Notice FN1369-SANITARY – Precautionary Emergency Closure 14.ba for details. 
    
2. Deep Bay, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-8 including BC Landfiles #0278744, #0278742, #0278741, #0278740, #1414396, #0319716, #1414456, #1414457, #1400483, #1411206, #1407063, #1408485, #0278739, #0278737, #1403139, #0278734, #1411153 and #1411195. See Fishery Notice FN1368-SANITARY – Precautionary Emergency Closure 14.ap for details. 
    
3. Mud Bay, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-8, BC Landfile #0335309. See Fishery Notice FN1365-SANITARY – Emergency Sanitary Closure 14.az for details. 
    
4. West side of Denman Island, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-8, BC Landfile#0335309 See Fishery Notice FN1345-Amendment to FN1342 – SANITARY – Emergency Sanitary Closure 14.aw for details. 
    
5. West side of Denman Island, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-8, BC Landfile #1409454. See Fishery Notice FN1361-SANITARY – Emergency Sanitary Closure 14.ax for details. 
    
6. West side of Denman Island, Baynes Sound, Subarea 14-15, BC Landfile #0249854. See Fishery Notice FN1362-SANITARY – Emergency Sanitary Closure 14.ay for details. 
    
7. Bold Island area, Crescent Channel, Subarea 13-12, BC Landfile #1402974. See Fishery Notice FN1377-SANITARY – Emergency Sanitary Closure 13.vv for details. 
    
8. West side of Denman Island, Baynes Sound, Subareas 14-8 and 14-15 including BC Landfiles #1400036, #0185965, #1403060, #1404998, #0238111, #0026053 and #1402060. See Fishery Notice FN1400-SANITARY – Precautionary Emergency Closure 14.at for details. 

Links of Interest

• Articles about, or mentioning, closures in Baynes Sound
• Articles about, or mentioning, oysters
• Articles, about or mentioning, Cortes Island Aquaculture
• Articles about, or mentioning, Bee Islets Growers Corperation

Research & text by Roy L Hales; audio by De Clarke.

Top image credit: Looking across Baynes Sound, from Vancouver Island  to Denman Island – Photo by Ymblanter via Wikimedia (CC By Sa, 4.0 License)

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

Weekly Digest cortescurrents – [email protected] 

Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – [email protected]