Fishery Notice

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) recommends an emergency shellfish 
harvesting closure be put into effect per below, as a result of a reported 
spill of raw sewage in the vicinity of 1045 Lee Road in French Creek. 

As a follow-up to the Dangerous Goods and Incident Report (DGIR) received by 
DFO/ECCC on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1251 from the Regional District of 
Nanaimo, ECCC has completed effluent plume modelling based on the most recent 
estimated discharge volume of 1.0 m3 (1000 L) spilled to the adjacent marine 
waters of the French Creek estuary. Given the above, ECCC has reason to believe 
the sanitary conditions in the area outlined in the attached Emergency Closure 
map will be degraded to the point where accepted water quality standards of the 
CSSP have been exceeded. Given that overlay waters are a pathway by which 
pathogenic micro-organisms and other contaminants may be introduced into 
shellfish, ECCC concludes that the degree of contamination of the water would 
likely pose a risk to public health if the shellfish were harvested for 
consumption.

In accordance with Chapter 6 of the CSSP Manual, ECCC recommends that the 
following area be placed immediately in Closed Status under Emergency closure 
14.af to prevent the harvesting of potentially contaminated bivalve shellfish 
(see attached map): 

Portions of Subareas 14-1, 14-2, 14-3 and 14-4 at French Creek as follows:

Emergency Closure 14.af - French Creek - "The waters and intertidal foreshore 
of Georgia Strait near 1045 Lee Road in French Creek lying inside a 600 m 
radius centered at a point on land at 49°20.94' north latitude and 124°21.59' 
west longitude. " [NAD 83]

This closure shall remain in place a minimum of 21 days at which time ECCC will 
advise DFO if changes in the status of this Emergency closure is warranted.
  
ECCC recommends that the two Emergency Closures 14.hh and 14.ii invoked on 
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 as part of the conditions outlined in the French 
Creek Pollution Control Centre Conditional Management Plan be revoked as 
follows:

Emergency Closure Area 14.hh - Hall Road Pump Station, Town of Qualicum Beach

"The waters and intertidal foreshore inside a circular arc with a radius of 
6500 m, and excluding the areas already included in Annual Closures, 14.10, 
14.16 and 14.31 centered at a point on land at 49° 21.55' north latitude and 
124° 25.49' west longitude, which intersects the shoreline at 49° 22.04' north 
latitude and 124° 30.81' west longitude and again at 49° 20.43' north latitude 
and 124° 20.43' west longitude, near Hall Road in the Town of Qualicum Beach."  
[NAD 83]

Emergency Closure Area 14.ii - Bay Avenue Pump Station, City of Parksville

"The waters and intertidal foreshore inside a circular arc with a radius of 
6500 m, and excluding the area already included in Annual Closure 14.10, 
centered at a point on land at 49° 19.54' north latitude and 124° 19.41' west 
longitude, which intersects the shoreline at 49° 21.46' north latitude and 124° 
23.88' west longitude and again at 49° 18.64' and 124° 14.20, near Bay Avenue 
in the City of Parksville." [NAD 83]  

Detailed bivalve shellfish closure information and maps are available at our 
website: 

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/biotox/index-eng.html

and at local DFO offices.

For more information contact a local DFO office, Elysha Gordon at 250-756-7192

Fisheries & Oceans Operations Center - FN1125
Sent October 30, 2019 at 1442

Return to Main Menu

Visit Fisheries and Oceans Canada on the Web at http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Printed from the Pacific Region web site on March 8, 2026 at 0321