Question Period Note: Shellfish Traceability

Shellfish Traceability

• Our Government is committed to providing Canadians with access to safe shellfish. The safety of Canada’s food supply is a responsibility shared by industry and federal and provincial governments. In the case of shellfish, federal programming is delivered through the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program.
• Any harvest occurring in conflict with established rules and regulations has the potential to negatively impact the conservation of shellfish populations and food safety. Therefore, my department is targeting illegal harvesting and selling of shellfish in British Columbia, including suspected laundering of illegal products through legitimate aquaculture businesses.
• My department will investigate any reports of illegal harvesting violations and will take appropriate enforcement actions, including prosecution. Furthermore, we may consider more restrictive management approaches, if needed, to protect public health.

Background
• As partners in the delivery of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program, DFO and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) collaborate to prevent illegal harvesting and selling of bivalve shellfish.
• DFO has become aware of the issue of significant quantities of B.C. shellfish (manila and littleneck clams and Pacific oyster) being harvested, sold, and/or handled illegally.
• To address this, DFO created an action plan focused on compliance, enforcement, management changes, communications, engagement, and governance to be overseen by a federal-provincial committee chaired by the Regional Director General, Pacific Region.
• DFO’s key actions in the short term include:
- In the Pacific region: a continued audit of aquaculture records, consideration of regulatory gaps with BC, and an analysis of management options; and
- In Quebec and Atlantic Canada: conduct an investigation to determine if this is an issue that requires follow-up and further action.
• While Pacific region has taken the lead on this file to date, the identified conservation and enforcement risks have national and international implications. For this reason, a national bivalve traceability initiative has been created to bring Quebec and Atlantic regions into this discussion (first meeting occurred on September 6, 2019).
• DFO is working with CFIA, as well as Provinces regarding communication on this issue. Commercial growers and harvesters are being reminded that they are legally required to follow specific record-keeping and tagging requirements. Records of shellfish movement through the growing cycle and to the point of distribution provide evidence to support public health, regulatory decisions, and closure recommendations.
• Commercial harvesters and aquaculture operators are required to:
• Understand and abide by the conditions of licence;
- Keep complete, clear, and legible records and be able to produce them to a DFO fishery officer when requested;
- Ensure bivalve products destined for market sale is appropriately tagged with complete and accurate harvest information and is processed by an operator licenced by the CFIA to process shellfish; and
- Harvest only from open and approved areas.

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