Canada: B.C. shellfish growers will sink or swim with new marine debris rules
Canada
Published Feb 10, 2022
Tridge summary
Quadra Island oyster farmer Steve Pocock believes B.C.’s shellfish sector is facing a watershed moment.
Original content
West Coast growers have endured a tough couple of years as the COVID-19 pandemic dried up demand from restaurants and international markets, and extreme temperatures in June cooked countless beach-grown oysters and clams alive in their shells. And now growers have another sink or swim dilemma — the need to change farming practices and tackle marine debris created by the shellfish sector, said Pocock, who is also president of the BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA). Beach cleanups by some coastal stewardship groups and communities have documented large amounts of debris and plastic coming from areas where shellfish farming is concentrated. Social licence for old farming practices is in steep decline, and producers need to overcome their resistance to change and improve or consider getting out of the sector, Pocock said. “There's a little bit of frustration … with people who think they can carry on the same way they did 20 years ago,” he said. “Shellfish growers, like anyone ...
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