Prince Edward Island oyster growers are calling on the provincial government to ban the importation of live shellfish as a preventive measure against a potential infection of MSX.
The MSX parasite invades the tissues of an oyster, then multiplies and spreads. It causes tissue damage and a gradual weakening of the oyster over several months.
"It literally kills and annihilates the shellfish," said Bill Warren, an oyster fisherman. "It takes years to rebuild it. You have got to look at saving the industry now versus trying to look after it after it's there, and you've lost your industry."
