Harvesting of Wild Oysters in British Columbia
In order to commercially harvest oysters, an application must be submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands for the harvest of oysters from vacant Crown foreshore. These permits will be issued only in areas where ministry staff have carried out a stock assessment and determined that a harvestable surplus is available. As part of this process, the harvester must first locate an area where a stock of oysters exists. Once a permit has been issued, the dates for picking will not be revised or extended; the only exception will be in the case of a PSP closure. The maximum quota is ten tonnes and the minimum quota is one tonne.
If there are more permits than the harvestable surplus can satisfy, permits will be issued on the basis of a random draw. The permit duration will be determined by the amount of time deemed sufficient to allow the quota to be harvested. In all cases, no permit will be granted for a period greater than 30 days. Permits are not transferable. Permit holders must have their permits on site and available for inspection during harvesting.
Permits will not be issued in areas directly fronting Indian Reserves without written consent of the First Nations Band Council, or in areas deemed important for aboriginal food fishery purposes. The latter areas will be determined through ongoing consultation with First Nations.
Permits will not be issued for any areas judged to be important for recreation or conservation. This includes but is not limited to many areas fronting National, Provincial Parks or Ecological Reserves as well as the entire southern Gulf Islands region.
Wild Oyster Harvest Area Maps
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Location |
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Desolation Sound & Areas |
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Jervis Inlet/Strait
of Georgia Areas |
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Booth Bay Areas |
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West Coast
of Vancouver I.
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