The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has closed all of Sechelt Inlet, areas of Agamemnon Channel, the mouth of Jervis Inlet and the waters around Nelson and Hardy islands to bivalve shellfish harvesting because of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).
Fisheries officer Ben Rahier told Coast Reporter that while it’s not unusual to see a spike in PSP contamination at this time of year, the concentration and the widespread area are unusual.
Rahier said DFO estimates the concentration of PSP bacteria at around 1,300 parts per million (ppm). The threshold for a closure is 90 ppm.
Rahier said at those concentrations the risk of serious illness or death as a result of eating contaminated shellfish is extremely high.
For the latest updates visit: www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.
