Contaminated water polluted by runoff from farms, upstream sewage discharges and bird droppings has forced the closure of shellfish fishery in parts of Lower St. Lawrence, federal authorities announced this week.
The seasonal mandatory closure affects the maritime regions of the North Shore, the Gaspé Peninsula, the Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands.
“These closures are due to contaminated water, which has been polluted by runoff from agricultural areas and livestock farms, by drainage wells, or by the presence of wildlife such as bird colonies and marine mammals,” said Samantha Bayard, a spokesperson for Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
The closure was ordered by ECCC, which along with its partners, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, jointly administers the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP).
Oysters imported from Canada, lay in a box at JMS Seafood, a fish wholesaler in the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx section of New York City, June 21, 2010. (Mike Segar/REUTERS)
The program is the first line of defence in the sanitary control of shellfish, said Bayard.
The federal department is responsible for monitoring the bacteriological quality of water in shellfish harvesting areas to identify and evaluate sources of pollution and to classify these areas based on seawater assessments.
Oysters, mussels, soft-shell clams and other bivalve shellfish filter water to feed on the micro-organisms it contains. They can accumulate high concentrations of toxic algae or pathogenic bacteria.
Two toxins are particularly dangerous: Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin and domoic acid, according to Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Both are produced naturally by microscopic algae living in plankton. Shellfish accumulate them in their flesh by eating these algae.
Humans that consume shellfish containing these toxins may suffer potentially fatal nervous system problems. Other biotoxins produced by algae in the St. Lawrence River can cause serious digestive or intestinal problems.
The water can also be contaminated by runoff from farming, snowmelt, seasonal flooding and failures in municipal sewage treatment facilities in large upstream municipalities.
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