Unidentified pest devastates already weakened wild rice crop in northern Sask. [Video]

An unidentified pest has devastated this year’s wild rice harvest in northern Saskatchewan, throwing some harvesters into financial crisis, and prompting concerns for the future of the crop and the local economies it helps drive.

Several harvesters around Lac La Ronge, Morin Lake and Pinehouse Lake say that when they began the first round of harvesting earlier this month, they discovered many kernels empty and small, worm-like creatures eating the plants.

Phyllis Smith, who has cultivated and harvested wild rice for most of her life, said she and elders in the Métis community of Pinehouse have “never seen anything like this before.”

“This year is the worst I’ve ever seen. Usually I would pick an average of 300 bags. The most I picked in my lake was about 800 bags of rice,” she said. “We barely made 15 bags just about five days ago when we picked.”

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