Heavy rain curbs P.E.I. shellfish harvesting

Waylon Wiseman

- October 8, 2012 at 16:29:10

I would agree that pesticide use is undoubtedly a major concern for islanders and a major source of water contamination. However, I believe in this particular case, the contamination was not the fault of farmers. As the article mentions, bacterial shellfish poisoning is the concern driving the closure of the shellfish harvesting areas. This is likely because the infrastructure the city of Charlottetown has in place to deal with it's sewage, particularly during times of heavy rainfall, is inadequate. When rainfalls are heavy, the treatment facilities become overwhelmed. Instead of having the sewage flowing back up into our streets, the city simply opens drains, bypassing the treatment facilities, and effectively dumps raw sewage into the Hillsborough river. This results in fecal contamination, and thus bacterial contamination, of the oysters in the area. So while I agree, corporate industrial style farming practices need to be updated, this particular case is a result of poor management by the city.

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jimmy buffet

- September 26, 2012 at 21:23:03

Yes but the mussels and clams are GOOD TO GO in two weeks time.Can't wait.

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intobed

- September 26, 2012 at 18:03:42

The toxins coming from farmer's fields is getting worse every year. Farmers are killing PEI. We need a better way of farming than the current large corporate model. Corporate farmers are business owners, and only care about making more money, not about the health of the Island.

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  Seriously?

  - September 26, 2012 at 22:06:50

  Wow, really? you're on of "those people" who blame the farmers? If it weren't for farmers, you wouldn't have food on your table! Get yours facts straight before you start blaming the farmers. Only a small percentage of the contaminants in our waterways, if any, are farm related. Theres so many other possibilities of contamination of our water. Stop blaming the farmers for everything!!!

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  mra

  - September 27, 2012 at 08:24:54

  and how many farns are there in the city of charlottetown?

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  intobed

  - September 27, 2012 at 09:22:16

  Seriously, I suggest you do the homework. Here is a start showing government monitoring of pesticide use: http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/eef_pestmon_eng.pdf Why does the government do such extensive monitoring? Why did they close shellfish harvesting? Dog droppings? Tsunami debris from Japan? Of course its the farmer's pesticides. Did you know that farmers on PEI use over 18 pounds of pesticides per person, compared to 3 pounds average across Canada? The way farming is done on PEI needs to change. Farmers can grow crops without having to kill PEI.