Area 6 - Sanitary contamination closures
Important!
Eating contaminated shellfish can make you very sick. It can even be life threatening. Cooking shellfish does not destroy all biotoxins.
The shellfish you harvest and eat should always come from an open area. When an area is officially “closed,” it is both illegal and unsafe to harvest shellfish from that area. It is your responsibility to know where you are planning to harvest and to find out if the species you wish to harvest is open in that area.
Related links
- Latest marine biotoxin update - coastwide overview of marine biotoxin contamination
- Shellfish harvesting safety information - find out what you need to know to safely harvest and eat shellfish
- Seasonal bivalve shellfish closures
Make sure you also check for biotoxin contamination closures in this area. These additional closures may be in effect when marine biotoxins are present in the water.
Sanitary closures in Area 6 (overview map)
Permanently closed to bivalve shellfish harvest
Because of the risk of sanitary contamination, bivalve shellfish harvesting (for any purpose) is permanently closed within the following boundaries:
- 300 metres around industrial, municipal and sewage treatment plant outfall discharges
- 125 metres around a marina, ferry wharf, floating living accommodation, or any finfish net pen
If you are in an aquaculture tenure there are some exceptions to item 2
- 25 meters around any floating living accommodation facility located within a shellfish aquaculture tenure where a zero-discharge and appropriate waste management plan is a condition of the Aquaculture Licence and is approved by the Regional Interdepartmental Committee
- 0 meters of any finfish net pen within an aquaculture tenure where an Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture Management Plan approved by the Regional Interdepartmental Committee is in operation.
| Subareas | Closure dates | Sanitary closure name | Closure type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-1 | Closed Apr 1 to Mar 31 | 6.1 Kitimat Arm | Annual Closure |
| 6-2 | Closed Jan 30 until further notice | 6.aa Hartley Bay | Temporary Emergency Closure |
| Closed Apr 1 to Mar 31 | 6.3 Hartley Bay | Annual Closure |
Area Descriptions
| Closure | Map | Area Description |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 Kitimat Arm | 6.1.jpeg | The waters and tidal foreshore of Kitimat Arm, lying inside a line drawn between Raley Point and a point 400 m north of the mouth of Bish Creek. |
| 6.3 Hartley Bay | 6.3.jpeg | The waters and intertidal foreshore of Hartley Bay, Douglas Channel, lying inside a line drawn from Sutton Pt. at 53° 25.35' north latitude and 129° 14.98' west longitude, then northeast to the point on land at the opposite side of the bay at 53° 25.45' north latitude and 129° 14.70' west longitude (NAD 27). |
| 6.aa Hartley Bay | 6.aa.jpeg | The waters and intertidal foreshore of Hartley Bay, inside of a line drawn from Halsey Point at 53°25.46' north latitude and 129°14.25' west longitude, thence south to a point of land on Promise Island at 53°24.73' north latitude and 129°14.20' west longitude, thence southeast following the shoreline to a point on land at 53°24.25' north latitude and 129°15.48' west longitude, thence northeast across Stewart Narrows to a point on land at 53°24.32' north latitude and 129°15.60' west longitude, thence north following the shoreline back to the point of commencement. [NAD83] |
2020-01-30 14:35:27
Contact us
Elysha Gordon
Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program (CSSP) Coordinator
- By phone: 250-756-7192
- By email: Elysha.Gordon@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
- By fax: 250-756-7162
- Date modified: