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An MLA in Prince Edward Island says he’s hearing from oyster fishers in his district who need help, and he’s calling on both the provincial and federal governments to do more.
P.E.I.’s oyster industry has been hit hard by two diseases in recent years — MSX was discovered in several Island waterways in 2024, followed by dermo the next year. Neither poses a risk for human consumption but both can be fatal to oyster populations.
Wednesday during question period in the provincial legislature, O’Leary-Inverness Liberal MLA Robert Henderson questioned when financial support from Ottawa would be coming.
“We heard the premier and the minister speak about efforts to secure federal support for the shellfish industry, but the track record here is very concerning,” Henderson said.
“Whether it’s hurricane response funding or the botched MSX support, this process has been slow, to say the least — complicated and difficult for both growers and processors.”
Liberal MLA Robert Henderson says the provincial and federal governments should be doing more to help oyster fishers in the province. (P.E.I. Legislative Assembly)
P.E.I.’s Progressive Conservative government has announced some supports for the industry in the wake of the diseases’ detection, including millions of dollars in wage subsidies and a retraining fund for fishers.
But Premier Rob Lantz said Wednesday it’s “vital” that Ottawa is part of that support, saying he raised the issue when he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this week.
“I’m a little disappointed that we’re not getting very far,” Lantz said in the legislature.
“We were told that we should probably not expect much more than what the federal government has already contributed, but I’ll continue to advocate because we need their support to get our industry through this crisis.”
Egmont MP Bobby Morrissey said in an emailed statement to CBC News that the federal government has funded most new research on the diseases.
He said Ottawa is finalizing “several funding options” put forward by the industry, and he expects an announcement about those in early May.
Henderson says he’s heard some harvesters in Cascumpec Bay have seen near total oyster mortality. (CBC)
Henderson said he has been approached by oyster harvesters in his district who have applied for provincial funding but “have not received a dime.”
“That puts a lot of undue stress on these families, these households,” Henderson told reporters outside the legislature.
“One producer said to me, ‘I can’t go to the grocery store with a letter [that] says we’re going to get money. It has to be in my account.'”
Henderson said he’s heard some harvesters in Cascumpec Bay have seen near total oyster mortality.
“They’re starting to get in a very concerning situation,” he said. “There needs to be some real leadership on behalf of the premier and the minister to address these types of issues.”