Fishery Notice

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, an emergency closure of Comox Harbour, Northern Baynes Sound and portions of Denman and Hornby Islands was invoked following a structural failure of a bypass pipe while upgrades were being conducted at the Jane Place Pump Station within inner Comox Harbour. As a result, Subareas 14-9 to 14-11, 14-14 and 14-15, were placed in closed status.

Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency received water and shellstock verification sample results that met the respective standard for a Restricted area, as outlined in the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP) for Subarea 14-14. Therefore, on June 5, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recommended that the portion of the emergency closure in Comox Harbour, Subarea 14-14 be revoked, and the area returned to the underlying bivalve shellfish harvest area classifications. Subareas 14-9 to 14-11 and 14-15, remained in closed status.  

Water and shellstock verification sample results that meet the standards described in Section 6.2 of the CSSP manual (https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-guidance-commodity/fish/canadian-shellfish-sanitation-program#s6c3), for Subareas 14-9 to 14-11 and 14-15, have now been received. Therefore, as per Section 6.2 of the CSSP manual, the remainder of the emergency closure for all bivalve shellfish, in Subareas 14-9 to 14-11 and 14-15, has been revoked. 
  
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. For an area to be open and safe for harvesting, both biotoxin and sanitary need to be open. For information on sanitary contamination and biotoxin closures please go to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada mapping site SHELLI to determine where there is safe harvest at https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/shellfish-mollusques/cssp-map-eng.htm. 

Specific species limits, restrictions and maps for each subarea are available at https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/bc-zones-cb-eng.html and at local DFO offices.

For more information contact DFO.PACCSSP-PCAMPAC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN0565
Sent June 8, 2026 at 1222

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Visit Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Printed from the Pacific Region web site on June 9, 2026 at 1507