Fishery Notice

The Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program Manual https://inspection.canada.ca/food-guidance-by-commodity/fish/canadian-shellfish-sanitation-program/eng/1527251566006/1527251566942?chap=0 requires that shellfish aquaculture licence holders culture shellfish in a manner that will ensure they are safe for consumption before harvesting for sale. If a shellfish control authority determines that the technology used to grow shellfish could potentially create or attract significant sources of contamination, failing to develop adequate control measures could lead to the aquaculture site being closed. Product from floating surface culture gear has been deemed potentially contaminated. Floating surface culture gear refers to nets, bags, pouches or other gear that is designed or installed in such a manner that part of the gear is floating and exposed above the water.

Any shellfish cultured using this type of technology must be subject to preventive controls by a licensed operator, or the leaseholder must submit a harvest plan with appropriate control measures to the regional shellfish control authority (Section 9.1.3). Please refer to FN0188 https://notices.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fns-sap/index-eng.cfm?pg=view_notice&DOC_ID=276285&ID=all for more information on the requirements for floating surface culture gear.

The below bivalve shellfish aquaculture facility has been identified as having floating surface culture gear. On the mapping site SHELLI https://gisp.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Html5Viewer/Index.html?viewer=CSSP_Public_En_Site&locale=en you can find these closures by searching for Prohibition Order PSN-2025-473.

Floating surface culture gear from bivalve shellfish aquaculture facility #1401074

The waters and intertidal foreshore of that portion of Subarea 24-9 inside a line that commences at 49°12.267'N and 125°52.894'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.325'N and 125°52.708'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.279'N and 125°52.675'W [on land] following the shoreline to 49°12.265'N and 125°52.649'W [on land] then in a straight line to 49°12.259'N and 125°52.630'W [on land] then following the shoreline to 49°12.259'N and 125°52.609'W [on land] then in a straight line to 49°12.294'N and 125°52.579'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.235'N and 125°52.396'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.188'N and 125°52.435'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.247'N and 125°52.613'W [in water] then in a straight line to 49°12.165'N and 125°52.527'W [on land] then following the shoreline to 49°12.220'N and 125°52.835'W [on land] then in a straight line to the point of commencement; including BC Land Registry Aquaculture Tenure #1401074. [NAD 83]

Note: This facility is identified as having floating surface culture gear present. Shellfish from floating surface culture gear are potentially contaminated due to the risk of birds roosting. As such, this type of culture must be subject to decontamination measures prior to harvest for human consumption. The licence holder shall not harvest or transfer bivalve shellfish to another location from floating surface culture gear unless in possession of a valid Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations licence authorizing the harvest or the transfer.

Note that this notice does not describe other sanitary closures which may be in effect, or Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP, red tide) and other marine biotoxin closures. Detailed bivalve shellfish closure information and maps are available at our website: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/index-eng.html and at local DFO offices.

For more information contact a local DFO office or contact the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program email box at DFO.PAC.CSSP-PCAM.PAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. 

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0721
Sent July 29, 2025 at 1212

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Printed from the Pacific Region web site on June 13, 2026 at 0508