Something is rotten in the district of Bulkley-Nechako.
It’s around 250 Dungeness crab, discarded off the side of Highway 16 along China Creek, between Witset and Hazleton.
In a press release, The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) said that the crabs were dumped on or before April 2.
As fishery officer Carey Ma explains, illegal seafood constitutes a real concern for consumers.
“Crabs illegally harvested from closed areas, for example, pulp mill effluent sites, are subject to chemical contamination which is not healthy for the public to be consuming.”
Ma adds that on top of the health risks, there are also negative impacts to the seafood industry as a whole.
“It creates a black market which undermines the economic value,” he explains.
“Illegal sales may [also] result in the potential closure of crab fisheries.”
The DFO says they have reason to believe the crabs originated from the Prince Rupert area, adding that the incident is likely linked to illegal fish sales in the North.
If you have any information on the incident the department is asking you contact them at 1-800-465-4336.