Demand for P.E.I. oysters soars beyond what harvesters can deliver

Demand for Prince Edward Island oysters is reaching new heights this spring.

The P.E.I. Shellfish Association says its members are getting calls for the product like never before, from all across North America. The association represents those who fish wild oysters, among other shellfish.

While the industry on the Island has been growing steadily in recent years, the demand might be outpacing that growth.

And growers and processors say they're also seeing demand go up. Friday was only the second day of harvesting this season for Raspberry Point Oysters in New London. While the company was bringing in big hauls, the manager of the company says more will be needed to fill orders this spring.

"Demand has been very, very strong," said manager James Power.

"Customers that normally I would not hear from were calling looking for oysters."

Buyers' appetite for the product was steady last fall, and stayed strong in what should have been a slow winter season.  

"Since the new year, we've turned down… I would estimate 50 to 100 customers who were not existing customers," Power said.

"The real demand out there is actually impossible to know because everybody's just asking for more. And because we can't fill the order, we really don't know how big that actually is."

It's not just Raspberry Point that's seeing a boom right now. 

According to the P.E.I. Shellfish Association, the market for Island oysters is stronger than ever. It has a lot to do with new orders coming from restaurants in Ontario and Quebec, said Bob MacLeod, president of the association.

"[There's] not a whole lot of product around because most of them shipped it off in the fall," he said.

"The demand's been phenomenal. It's kind of unbelievable. I was talking to one of the buyers the other day and the orders that people are looking for now is similar to what they'd call a big order at Christmas time, but nothing like what you'd see this time of year."

We've never been completely out, but we've been closer to out than we've ever been before.— Kent MacPhee

Some of those new clients will have a hard time getting oysters on the table, MacLeod said, but diners here on P.E.I. shouldn't have to worry too much.

"We've never been completely out, but we've been closer to out than we've ever been before," said Kent MacPhee, managing partner of The Local Pub and Oyster Bar in Charlottetown.

"Thankfully we use a lot of Island growers, so when you do that, when you're partnered with perhaps so many different ones, it gives you a bullpen to draw from."

All in all, the new demand is great news for P.E.I.'s oyster industry, which was hit hard by post-tropical storm Fiona and market slowdowns during the pandemic, Power said.