Finding a short-term solution to allow the shellfishery to proceed in the Charlottetown Harbour area is critical while upgrades to the City of Charlottetown’s waste water treatment system are planned and carried out, says Fisheries Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Neil LeClair.
“While the provincial government has re-stated its commitment to supporting a solution to the frequent bypasses from a section of the City's waste water system that has resulted in closures to the shellfishery in the Charlottetown Harbour area, it is also critical that we explore options to allow an orderly fishery to proceed in this area, ” Minister LeClair said. “In the end, we want to support the fishery and ensure our customers that we have the safest shellfish products harvested anywhere.”
The Department is working with the federal partners involved in the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program and with industry to see if it can minimize the impact on the shellfishery in the affected areas by exploring alternate harvest plans and increasing the amount of testing of water and shellfish to see if the size of the frequent closures can be reduced.
“The announcement that the province continues to be committed to improving Charlottetown’s waste water treatment system is another step that will ensure that our fishers will have access to the highly valuable shellfish beds in the Charlottetown Harbour area,” Mr. LeClair said.
“Because the upgrades may take some time to implement, my Department is working closely with the affected shellfishers, processors and the federal government to explore alternate harvest options that will support the fishery in the immediate future. We are confident that, when the necessary changes are in place, the frequent closures of shellfish areas in the Charlottetown Harbour area due to bypasses will become a thing of the past,” Mr. LeClair said.