The Canadian government has announced a new voluntary program to buy out oyster harvesters on the country’s Atlantic coast suffering major financial losses due to the spread of disease. “Oysters have been harvested in Atlantic Canada for generations, and the diseases moving through these populations are a serious threat to that,” Canada Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson said, as quoted by SeafoodSource.com. “I know this is a hard moment for the people who make their living on the water,” Thompson said. “For harvesters who decide the time is right to permanently retire a license or permit, this program is there to support that decision.” Thompson said the government’s intervention will help give scientists time to keep working on the disease, according to Nathan Strout of Seafood Source.