Use Caution when Harvesting Shellfish this Holiday Weekend

QUÉBEC – Easter is often a time when people living in coastal communities on the North Shore and the Gaspé Peninsula get together for a hearty dinner including molluscan shellfish. This is a tradition that has gone on for generations. The Government of Canada is launching its annual awareness campaign in Quebec to raise public awareness of the risks of eating molluscan shellfish harvested from closed areas.

The Department is reminding the public that harvesting molluscan shellfish from closed areas is prohibited. Additionally, shellfish harvesting is prohibited within 125 metres of a wharf, due to the risk of contamination.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with a mandate to protect and conserve fishery resources, works with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Environment Canada in effort to prevent molluscan shellfish harvesting in closed areas in order to protect public health.

Consuming shellfish that is unsafe can lead to serious health problems, including death. For more information regarding potential health risks, you are encouraged to visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website.

The Department is also asking the public to report molluscan shellfish harvesting in closed areas by calling 1-800-463-9057. All calls are anonymous and confidential.

Up-to-date information on open or closed shellfish harvesting areas may be obtained on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website or by calling one of the following telephone numbers:

  • Charlevoix, North Shore and Anticosti Island:
    • From L’Isle-aux-Coudres to Baie-Trinité: 1-800-463-8558
    • From Baie-Trinité to Natashquan: 1-800-463-1736
    • From Natashquan to Blanc-Sablon: 1-800-463-8558
  • Magdalen Islands: 418-986-3882
     
  • Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspé Peninsula:
    • From Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies to Cap-Gaspé: 1-800-463-0607
    • From Cap-Gaspé to the Matapédia River: 1-800-463-4204

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For more information:

Michel Plamondon
Senior Communications Advisor
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Quebec City, Quebec
(418) 648-5419

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