Shellfish

Shellfish disappearing along west coast – Systemic crisis – Finding Pacific shellfish ‘next to impossible’ – Manager: ‘Recently there’s no local scallops at all, supply gone’ – Chef: Began a few months ago, oyster farms flourishing for years all of a sudden had to shut down

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– TV: Shellfish disappearing along west coast, nobody knows why — Has become systemic crisis — Finding Pacific shellfish ‘next to impossible’ — Manager: “Recently there’s no local scallops at all, supply gone” — Chef: Began a few months ago, oyster farms flourishing for years all of a sudden had to shut down (VIDEOS) (ENENews, Feb 8, 2015):

Yahoo News — transcript excerpts, Jan 29, 2015 (emphasis added): BC’s shellfish industry in crisis… Jennifer Palma looks at the die off of scallops and oysters and why it’s a troubling indicator of the health of our oceans. — “Getting pacific oysters and scallops is next to impossible; the industry is in crisis… So what’s killing the Pacific oysters and scallops? A possible combination of factors including warmer oceans, decreasing acidity levels, and potentially disease”… Curtis Suttle, UBC marine microbiology professor: “The hypothesis — there’s a working hypothesis — is that these changes, these excursions in ph, are making the shellfish vulnerable to infection by diseases that they would normally be resistant to.”

Read moreShellfish disappearing along west coast – Systemic crisis – Finding Pacific shellfish ‘next to impossible’ – Manager: ‘Recently there’s no local scallops at all, supply gone’ – Chef: Began a few months ago, oyster farms flourishing for years all of a sudden had to shut down

Massive Die-Off Of Oysters And Scallops In Pacific Northwest: ‘Millions Of Shellfish Dying’ – ‘By July Mortality Hit 95 To 100 Percent’

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– Massive die-off of oysters and scallops in Pacific Northwest: “Millions of shellfish dying” — Never seen anything like it — “By July mortality hit 95 to 100 per cent” — “Deformed shells, smaller in size” — “Cause is unknown, but ocean acidification is main suspect” (AUDIO) (ENENews,Feb 28, 2014):

Globe and Mail, Feb. 27, 2014: Mystery surrounds massive die-off of oysters and scallops off B.C. coast […] Something is killing oysters and scallops in dramatic numbers […] The cause is unknown, but ocean acidification is the main suspect. […] last year, nearby Pendrell Sound had a massive die-off of wild oysters. […] [Rob Saunders, CEO of Island Scallops] has lost 10 million scallops over the past two years, and smaller companies have had similar problems. Mr. Saunders is pushing for a research project to find out what’s happening. […] one of BC’s biggest suppliers of fresh seafood, said the scallop die-off has rung alarm bells.

CBC, Feb. 25, 2014: The deteriorating health of B.C.’s oceans […] Millions of shellfish are dying off before they can be harvested at Island Scallops […] researchers will try to determine if acidification is to blame or if other factors are at play.

Read moreMassive Die-Off Of Oysters And Scallops In Pacific Northwest: ‘Millions Of Shellfish Dying’ – ‘By July Mortality Hit 95 To 100 Percent’

‘UNPRECEDENTED’: China Bans All Imports Of Shellfish From U.S. West Coast (Washington, Oregon, Alaska And N. California), Ban Will Continue Indefinitely

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– ‘Unprecedented’: China bans all imports of shellfish from U.S. West Coast — Official: “They’ve never done anything like that that I’ve ever seen” — Includes Washington, Oregon, Alaska and N. California — Gov’t says it will continue indefinitely (AUDIO) (ENENews, Dec 13, 2013):

KUOW, Dec. 13, 2013: China Imposes First-Ever West Coast Shellfish Ban […] China has suspended imports of shellfish from the west coast of the United States — an unprecedented move […] China said it decided to impose the ban after recent shipments of geoduck clams from Northwest waters were found by its own government inspectors to have high levels of arsenic and a toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning. The restriction took effect last week and China’s government says it will continue indefinitely. It applies to clams, oysters and all other two-shelled bivalves harvested from the waters of Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Northern California. […] “It’s had an incredible impact,” said George Hill, the geoduck harvest coordinator for Puget Sound’s Suquamish Tribe. “A couple thousand divers out of work right now.” […] Officials say the investigation is ongoing but the closure could last for months.

Read more‘UNPRECEDENTED’: China Bans All Imports Of Shellfish From U.S. West Coast (Washington, Oregon, Alaska And N. California), Ban Will Continue Indefinitely

Genetically ‘improved’ oysters behind France’s shellfish plague

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Genetically “improved” oysters could be behind the worst plague of the shellfish to hit France in 40 years, it has been reported.

Last month farmers around France announced that they had lost between 40 and 100 per cent of their oysters aged one to two years old.

According to oysters farmers cited by weekly magazine Marianne, the culprit is the triploid oyster, which is modified to give it three pairs of chromosomes instead of two, as is the case with common oysters.

“It’s the triploid’s fault”, one was quoted as saying. “But one mustn’t say that because the scientific and financial stakes are considerable”.

Read moreGenetically ‘improved’ oysters behind France’s shellfish plague