I am heading to Vancouver Island in September and was hoping to do some mussel and clam harvesting. I noticed I looked at the bivalve harvesting map and it looks like basically the whole coast of British Columbia is closed to harvesting bivalves . Is this really true? It seems strange that year after year we’d have a constant red tide!
Harvesting Bivalves
- Thread starter Stonegoat
- Start date
cambrowne
New Member
My understanding is that they only open areas that they test. They only test in a few areas close to commercial harvesting areas (mostly the east side of Van island). There are many remote areas where they have never tested and never will, so they keep them closed. Quite frustrating.... In the end, a lot of people in remote communities just take matters into their own hands.
scott craven
Well-Known Member
Anywhere even close to a community by the ocean is closed.
It's not red tide, it's fecal coliform that closes most digging/picking.
It's not red tide, it's fecal coliform that closes most digging/picking.
sly_karma
Crew Member
It's more nuanced than that. Biotoxin ("red tide") closure is the blanket one in effect everywhere unless tested. Sanitary closures have varying dates and affect more species.
Shellfish Harvesting Status Map
The Shellfish Harvesting Status Map will allow you to identify BC shellfish harvesting closures in your area.
Our family are in this latter category, on carefully selected sites and species.
MacDuff
Active Member
Agreed, it's local knowledge here in remote northwest parts of WCVI.It's more nuanced than that. Biotoxin ("red tide") closure is the blanket one in effect everywhere unless tested. Sanitary closures have varying dates and affect more species.
Shellfish Harvesting Status Map
The Shellfish Harvesting Status Map will allow you to identify BC shellfish harvesting closures in your area.www.bccdc.ca
Our family are in this latter category, on carefully selected sites and species.
Similar threads
