‘Devastating’ decline in Bedeque Bay oysters has fishers worried with season set to start [Video]

The opening day of the wild oyster fishery on Prince Edward Island is May 1, and people in the industry are worried about what they are going to find after “devastating” results from test runs in Bedeque Bay earlier this month. 

Multinuclear sphere X (or MSX) was first detected in Island waters in July 2024. While the parasite is harmless to humans, it is deadly to oysters and can decimate a population.

“We got permission to accompany the province when they tested at Bedeque,” said Bob MacLeod, president of the P.E.I. Shellfish Association. “We sent three dories, three directors from the association, and each director took an extra person with them and they were out two and a half or three hours.

“Plus the province was there, with three people in their boat, and the results from that wasn’t very good. Between the whole crew of them and the time …