Ottawa announced new support for P.E.I.’s oyster industry, including disease-resistant seed imports, grower aid and a licence buyback program.
The federal government announced a new package of measures Friday for Prince Edward Island’s oyster industry, including support for importing disease-resistant oyster seed and a one-time licence buyback program for wild harvesters who want to leave the sector.
The announcement is Ottawa’s most substantial intervention since the Island’s oyster industry was hit by MSX and dermo, two diseases that can be deadly to oysters but do not pose a risk to human health. P.E.I. is the largest oyster producer in Eastern Canada and the second-largest in Canada, according to 2024 Canadian aquaculture production statistics cited in the announcement.
The package includes Canadian Food Inspection Agency approval to import broodstock from the United States for the development of disease-resistant oysters. Federal officials said approval for imports of disease-resistant oyster seed for aquaculture use in Atlantic Canada is expected in the coming weeks. The seed import approval work is expected to cost about $1.5 million.
Ottawa also announced $4.2 million to help P.E.I. oyster growers buy disease-resistant hatchery seed, so they can restock and rebuild future harvests. Fisheries and Oceans Canada will administer up to $6 million for a one-time licence buyback program for wild oyster harvesters who choose to exit the industry.
Another $130,000 will go toward developing a broader Atlantic oyster industry strategy focused on disease management, supply, markets, processing and support for affected workers. Farm Credit Canada will also offer customer support to growers, including work on possible loan payment adjustments to ease short-term financial pressure.
Peter Warris, executive director of the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, said in the federal release that moving away from natural seed collection and toward hatchery seed will be central to recovery. “The Oyster Aquaculture Transition Fund, delivered by the P.E.I. Aquaculture Alliance, will assist Island oyster farmers with the increased expense of purchasing hatchery seed,” Warris said.
MSX was first detected in several P.E.I. waterways in 2024, followed by dermo the next year. Many Island growers have recently reported oyster mortality rates approaching 100 per cent in cages pulled after the winter, while some harvesters have had to travel farther to find healthy oysters.
The P.E.I. government had already announced supports including wage subsidies and retraining money, while urging Ottawa to provide more help. The federal release said that as of September 2025, the CFIA had declared MSX and dermo present, or very likely present, across Eastern Canada, including P.E.I., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
Since the outbreak began, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the CFIA have delivered more than 17,000 diagnostic tests and invested $1 million in research, according to the federal release. The next key step for growers is the expected approval of disease-resistant oyster seed imports in the coming weeks.
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