Maritimers learn how to tackle oyster disease from U.S. counterparts

A maritime delegation is heading to the United States today to learn how New England has dealt with a fatal oyster disease that has had a devastating effect on Atlantic aquaculture.

The aquaculture associations of both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will lead a group of about 16 researchers, industry delegates and government officials. The delegation will travel to Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island for a week-long visit to discuss technology and policy approaches against MSX, a microscopic parasite.

Bruce Hancock, executive director of the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Association, says New England has developed disease-resistant oyster strains. He says American officials have put government regulations in place that have prevented the disease from spreading to unaffected areas.

First detected in Nova Scotia in 2002, MSX decimated the oyster industry in the Bras d’Or Lakes of Cape Breton, cutting the province’s oyster production in half in a single year. Hancock estimates the economic effect of MSX in Atlantic Canada to be about one-million dollars per year.

According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, MSX affects only oysters and has no effect on human health.

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