DFO closes shellfish harvesting west of Graham Island over Red Tide concerns

An area west of Graham Island
is the latest shellfish area to
be closed for harvesting

DFO Pacific issued a notice late Monday afternoon outlining measures it has taken with the shellfish fishery off of Haida Gwaii. With notice of the closure issued  for the area known as 142 found west of Graham Island.

The notice adds to the wide range of areas now closed to a number of categories for the shell fishery on the coast of British Columbia.

The latest addition to the list is in response to concerns over  Paralytic shellfish poison better known as Red Tide,  a condition which affects bi-valve shellfish, marine life which features two shells.

Eating shellfish with high levels of certain toxins an lead to serious of potentially fatal illnesses.  Background on the dangers to health from contaminated shellfish can be reviewed from the DFO website

The latest notice from DFO follows a summer that has left producers of shellfish in the province facing a ban on the sale of raw oysters harvested in coastal waters.

That ban, put in place by Vancouver Coastal Health, has industry officials at odds with the Vancouver Health organization, with industry groups confused as to why Vancouver Coastal Health has not yet lifted the ban.

The full list of closures or conditions currently in place in British Columbia waters can be found here.

More on the British Columbia fishing industry can be found here.