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SA Success Controlling Wild Oysters

MEDIA RELEASE  

Friday, 14 January 2011

South Australia is set to gain risk-free area status for wild Pacific Oysters, due to a successful control program that wraps up this week.

A project in the Ceduna area, under way yesterday and today (Friday), caps off a four-year initiative to control wild Pacific Oysters across the State’s premier Oyster growing regions.

Dr Michael Sierp, Biosecurity SA’s Manager of Marine Biosecurity, says the risk-free status is a great achievement for the Oyster industry as it means that there are no significantly dense populations of wild Pacific Oysters. 
The Oyster industry is the second largest aquaculture sector in South Australia producing almost 5.8 million dozen oysters in 2008/09, valued at over $32.6 million farm gate.
Growers this week joined Government and industry representatives to clear more than 200 000 wild Pacific Oysters from Cape Beaufort, Matts Point, Thevenard reef (Denial Bay, Ceduna) and Cape Vivonne.

Dr Sierp says the Ceduna project is the largest area of significant wild Pacific Oyster colonisation in South Australia.

“We have previously surveyed and cleared Oysters from the Kingscote wharf on Kangaroo Island, Mount Dutton Bay, Port Douglas, Black Springs and the Brothers Islands in Coffin Bay and the shipping wharf at Thevenard,” Dr Sierp said.

“The Ceduna project comes off the back of the successful exercise in Coffin Bay last February also involving industry volunteers. With their support, we were able to clear about 100 000 wild Pacific Oysters across 25 kilometres of affected coastline.

“South Australian Oyster Growers Association (SAOGA) delegates and growers who donated their labour, support vessels and time should be commended on their support of the program.

Dr Sierp says wild Pacific Oysters can become a threat to native biodiversity, can cause infringements on public amenity and infrastructure (through the formation of dense sharp reefs), and can compete with cultured Pacific Oysters to increase growing times.

Several SA Oyster growing regions surveyed, such as the Yorke Peninsula, Smoky Bay and Franklin Harbour, do not currently have a significant wild Pacific Oyster problem.