Question Period Note: Norovirus in British Columbia Oysters

Norovirus in British Columbia Oysters

My department and I are committed to responsibly managing Canada's fisheries and oceans resources, including supporting the harvest of safe shellfish.

As a partner in the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program, my department is working with Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, as well as with federal and provincial public health authorities, to respond to this norovirus outbreak.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is taking action and has closed 10 harvest areas. My department will also work with regulatory partners and stakeholders to assess this event and ensure measures are in place to prevent a reoccurrence.

• There have been a number of recent media reports regarding an outbreak of norovirus in both Canada and the United States (US), linked to consumption of oysters harvested in British Columbia (BC). Various Canadian and US health authorities have also issued public health notices or advisories warning against consumption of BC oysters.
• Noroviruses are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in people, typically causing relatively short-lived diarrhea and/or vomiting. Norovirus illnesses can be caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water.
• While norovirus illnesses are not uncommon in winter months, a sharp increase in cases in multiple provinces was identified in March 2022 and linked to consumption of BC oysters.
• As of April 6, 2022, there are 327 confirmed cases in 127 clusters in Canada, and 91 confirmed illnesses in the US across 13 states.
• An Outbreak Investigation Coordinating Committee (OICC) was struck to facilitate communication, discuss outbreak investigation findings, and to achieve consensus on investigation direction and any necessary public health action. The OICC includes representatives from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Transport Canada, and provincial/territorial public health departments.
• As partners in the delivery of the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP), DFO, ECCC, and CFIA collaborate to ensure the safe harvesting and selling of wild and aquaculture bivalve shellfish. The CSSP includes policies and controls to manage the risk of contamination from sources of norovirus, such as waste water treatment plants and sewage from vessels.
• DFO’s role in the CSSP is to issue licences that authorize harvest, enforce closure regulations and enact the opening and closing of shellfish areas under the authority of the Fisheries Act.
• Ten aquaculture facilities are closed to harvest of oysters, eight of which are in Baynes Sound..
• Under the CSSP policy, these facilities will remain closed for a minimum of 30 days (with satisfactory testing) OR a minimum of 60 days without testing.
• The source of the norovirus contamination for these illnesses has not been determined, but the presence of the herring fishery in Baynes Sound has been raised by shellfish operators as a possible source for the sharp increase in cases starting the week of March 6, 2022.
• Transport Canada regulates the discharge of sewage from all vessels in Canadian waters through the Vessel Pollution and Dangerous Chemical Regulations, made under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.
• DFO is continuing to support its partners in the CSSP to ensure that contaminated shellfish do not reach the market.
• Canada’s current total annual harvest of bivalve shellfish is valued in excess of $410 million. The bulk of this, 110,000 tonnes, is through wild commercial harvest with an additional 43,000 tonnes produced in aquaculture operations.

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