Toxin forces bivalve harvest ban in southwest N.B.

A commercial clam digger in southwest New Brunswick says he's getting an unexpected holiday, but he's hoping it won't last too long.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced a banThursday on the harvesting of shellfish such as clams and mussels for all of southwest New Brunswick.

DFO reports high levels of the naturally occurring toxin that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning, which only infects bivalve shellfish, not lobster, crab or shrimp. When water temperatures rise, so does the number of toxic dinoflagellates, a type of ocean plankton the bivalves feed on.

Wes Lomax Jr, a Lepreau-area digger, said that information doesn't make the bans any easier to plan for.

"There's really no set time it starts, and no set time it's going to be finished," Lomax said Friday. "I guess it's just a financial strain if you're dependent on that for your livelihood. Obviously, it can be pretty strenuous, just waiting to see what happens."

Lomax said he only harvests clams from spring to fall, but he says there are 30 or 40 people in his area who depend on it year-round.

The ban affects 519 registered commercial clam harvesters in the region.

DFO spokeswoman Odette Gaudet said it's not likely the ban will last the entire summer, depending on the weather, but the toxin needs to be taken seriously.

"This toxin can do various things, and it'll affect different people for various reasons, but it can be as serious as death," said Gaudet. "It can cause partial paralysis, including respiratory failure."