Fall oyster season opens on P.E.I. amidst concerns over hot summer

About 600 Island oyster fishermen were on the water raking oysters for the start of the fall public fishery on Saturday.

Kenneth Arsenault, the head of the Prince Edward IslandShellfish Association, said there's a possibility of more dead oysters than usual because of the warm weather and hotter than normalwater temperatures this summer.

"Mortality is always a concern with any new season starting, especially after the hot summer we've had," he said.

"You never know. Oysters are a resilient animal so it could be fine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed of course."

The fall oyster season typically runs until the end of November.

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With files from Laura Chapin