Fishery Notice

Effective December 10, 2014 until further notice: Due to excessive rainfall and 
flooding that has occurred on the South Coast of BC including portions of the 
City of Courtney and along the Oyster River, The Pacific Interdepartmental 
Shellfish Committee has agreed that precautionary closures in many shellfish 
harvest areas are warranted.

The River Forecast Centre reports that as of late yesterday afternoon, the 
Tsolum River near Courtenay was  running at 278 m3/s (water level = 4.387 m), 
which is greater than the 100 year flow and has exceeded the maximum historical 
recorded flow (258 m3/s).  The Oyster River below Woodhus Creek was running at 
353 m3/s (water level = 2.982 m), which is greater than the 100 year flood and 
has exceeded the maximum historical recorded flow (260 m3/s). Forecast rainfall 
totals from 20 to 40 mm are expected for East Vancouver Island over the next 24-
48 hours. In combination with the current river levels and high tides, high 
stream flow conditions are expected to persist until late Wednesday/early 
Thursday.  

Given the above, Environment Canada has reason to believe that the sanitary 
conditions of marine waters most likely influenced by the Courtenay and Oyster 
Rivers and adjacent tributaries may have degraded to the point where accepted 
water quality standards of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program have been 
exceeded.  Given that overlay waters are a pathway by which pathogenic micro-
organisms and other contaminants may be introduced into shellfish, we conclude 
that the degree of contamination of the water would likely pose a risk to 
public health if shellfish in the affected area were harvested for consumption.

Harvest of bivalve shellfish is now prohibited until further notice from 
Pacific Fishery Management Subareas 14-8, 14-11, 14-13, 14-14 and 14-15.

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

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/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 - FN1288
Sent December 10, 2014 at 1051

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