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General News · 2nd October 2021
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Fishery Notice - Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Subject: FN1035- CHEMICAL - Area 13 - CHEMICAL Contamination - Emergency Closure for Bivalve Shellfish in a portion of Subarea 13-15, Gorge Harbour, east of the Stove Islets off Cortes Island.

Effective immediately, as a result of reports of a diesel spill in Gorge Harbour, east of the Stove Islets off Cortes Island, a portion of Subarea 13-15, the Pacific Region Interdepartmental Shellfish Committee (PRISC) has reason to believe the quality of bivalve shellfish in the area may be compromised.

In accordance with Section 6.2 of the CSSP Manual, PRISC recommends that the following area within a portion of PFMA Subarea 13-15 be placed immediately into Closed Status under emergency chemical contamination closure to prevent the harvesting of potentially contaminated bivalve shellfish:
Emergency Closure 13.ss – Gorge Harbour, east of the Stove Islets off Cortes Island
The waters and intertidal foreshore of Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island north of a line drawn from a point of land at 50°5.05' north latitude and 125°01.07' west longitude, thence in an easterly direction to a point of land of the opposite shore at 50°04.95' north latitude and 125°00.78' west longitude. [NAD83]
As per the CSSP Manual, Section 6.2 Emergency Events, closure of affected areas due to a chemical event will remain in place for a minimum of 7 days, at which time the PRISC partners will evaluate the situation and advise DFO if changes in the closure status are warranted.

Note that this notice does not describe other chemical or sanitary closures which may be in effect, or Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP, red tide) and other marine biotoxin closures. Detailed bivalve shellfish closure information and maps are available at our website:

https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/contamination/biotox/a-s-13-eng.html