Tasty time for Tasmanian oyster farmers

Tasmanian oyster farmers have gained insights from other aquaculture industries as part of this year’s Shellfish Futures conference that took place in Hobart recently.

Run by Oysters Tasmania, the two-day event featured guests who discussed the use of technology in food production and innovative ideas for the industry.

“We’re probably a quarter to a third of Australia’s oyster production, with South Australia and New South Wales making up most of the remainder,” Oysters Tasmania CEO Duncan Spender said.

“The Australian industry is reasonably small compared to the increasing powerhouse of East Asia, China in particular, and the established oyster productions across Europe and North America.

“There’s not a massive amount of trade given the perishable nature of our product.”

Australians do not eat as many oysters and shellfish as Europeans and East Asians.

Mr Spender said it was due to Australians generally not having it in their normal diet and only seeing it as a luxury food.

Tasmania produces around 40 million Pacific oysters annually and has 43 growers throughout the state, all of which are Australian owned.

“It’s a slow process, but the industry is united in a strategy of always providing a reliable and safe commercial product,” Mr Spender said.

“That way, those on the fringe of possibly trying oysters can give it a go and have a positive experience.”

While there is some seasonal variation, Mr Spender said production levels had remained consistent over the last decade.

“We aren’t like other food production sectors where you can pretty strongly predict your outputs based on the inputs that you put in.”

“We don’t feed our animal, so unlike most other farming – which either feeds or fertilises its product - we aren’t in control of how quickly our product grows.

“It’s a waiting game and it’s a slow growth scenario.

“We are never going to be competing with industries that put on and double their protein masses in very short periods of time.”

Mr Spender said it took around two years for an oyster to grow to a size where it could be consumed.

“I can see the future of the industry here being really positive if we get the regulatory settings right and if we don’t get smashed by environmental factors.

“I do see some risks for our industry if we get a combination of a difficult regulatory environment not specifically designed with us in mind, along with various environmental ups and downs that can happen anywhere.”