The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has shut down a shellfish harvesting spot off the east coast of Vancouver Island over sanitary contamination concerns.
The British Columbia Shellfish Growers’ Association says part of Henry Bay, a subarea of Baynes Sound, is currently closed following concerns of norovirus.
The source has yet to be determined.
The closure and the on-going issue with norovirus are a “significant hit” to the industry, the association says.
It’s unclear if the closure is linked to a spate of oyster-related illnesses in Ontario.
That province’s acting Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a warning on Thursday saying two dozen cases of gastrointestinal illness may be linked to oysters from British Columbia.
BCSGA Executive Director, Darlene Winterburn, says everyone is working collaboratively to find answers.
“Their information will be coming back to B.C. and it will be used in part of the investigation to figure out the source of where the illnesses are coming from,” Winterburn said.
She adds that it’s “critical” they do everything they can to ensure the safety of the food that is farmed.
“Everybody is practicing vigilance at the farms and at the processing plants and the oysters are tested, as with any raw protein there are some risks,” Winterburn said.
A shellfish harvesting area east of Campbell River was closed in December after oysters from the region tested positive for norovirus.
Part of Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of the Island was also shut down late last year after raw oysters caused more than 100 people in Tofino to fall ill.
The Vancouver Island Health Authority previously said it was investigating more than 20 reports of possible norovirus illnesses linked to raw shellfish.
A person can develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to the virus, including nausea, stomach pain and diarrhea.
According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, norovirus and other bugs can be killed by cooking oysters to an internal temperature of 90 C for 90 seconds.
With files from The Canadian Press
