Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans is providing a round of funding for scientific research on multinucleate sphere unknown X, also known as MSX disease, a pathogen impacting Atlantic Canada’s oyster industry.
The disease is caused by the parasite Haplosporidium nelsoni, and while the oysters it affects are still consumable, it can cause higher mortality and slower growth. The province of Prince Edward Island first discovered an MSX outbreak in August 2024, and since then the industry has been waiting to see what the impacts have been once oyster farmers raise their equipment in the spring.
Canada Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Diane Lebouthillier announced six recipients will receive CAD 850,000 (USD 591,000, EUR 545,000) in funding between them to research MSX. According to a release from the department, the release will cover rapid detection of the disease and disease resistance in oysters.
"By supporting this important research on MSX, the Government of Canada is investing in the future of our oyster industry, as well as the livelihoods of the Canadians who depend on them,” Lebouthillier said. “Together, we are advancing scientific knowledge that will strengthen our ability to protect the health and sustainability of our marine ecosystems and ensure the resilience of coastal communities."
Canada held a science summit in 2024 after the detection of MSX in P.E.I., and key knowledge gaps were identified during that meeting, according to the department.
“Key areas for further research identified during the summit included learning more about genetic markers or traits that could promote resistance to MSX, rapid detection methodologies, and the need to learn more about the experience in other jurisdictions dealing with MSX,” the department said.
That summit coincided with the discovery that MSX had spread to oysters in New Brunswick, Canada. The exact nature of how the disease spread is still unknown.
The industry in P.E.I. has already begun taking measures of its own. The PEI Shellfish Alliance announced funding for a nursery that can grow MSX-resistant oyster seeds, and Prince Edward Island Seafood Processors Association Executive Director Bob Creed told SeafoodSource the industry is already working with other areas that have faced MSX before.
“We're in uncharted territories here,” Creed said. “But, we've learned a lot talking with folks who have gone through this before.”
