THE Eurobodalla’s multi-million dollar oyster industry is today hoping for an early resurrection after rain last month forced closure of several South Coast catchments.
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Consistent rain in late March forced the closure of harvesting in the shire’s estuaries, with growers automatically prevented from harvesting if more than 30mm of rain falls within a 24-hour period.
With Easter their second- most important annual harvest, the Clyde River’s 21 growers are today awaiting the results of water and meat samples taken yesterday, with a result expected this afternoon.
The Batemans Bay grower charged with testing salinity and providing samples to the NSW Food Authority is John Yiannaros, the elected co-ordinator of the Clyde River Quality Assurance Program.
He said the rain was a boon for future harvests, but had delayed the important Easter harvest.
He said samples were taken on Tuesday afternoon and rushed to a laboratory in Nowra.
Rain reduces salinity and can wash faeces from wildlife and domesticated stock into waterways, increasing the risk of E.coli contamination.
“If we get 30mm of rain or more, as a precaution, we stop our harvest and then when the salinity starts to rise, we begin to test,” Mr Yiannaros said.
Salinity levels had increased enough at the Clyde’s Moonlight and Rocky Point harvest points to warrant testing for E.coli.
He said the Clyde was NSW’s third most productive of 26 oyster growing estuaries and Easter was the second largest sales time of the year.
“There are two times of the year we don’t want to miss out on: Christmas and Easter,” he said.
He said growers had already missed the lucrative pre-Easter sales to Sydney and interstate markets, with buyers looking elsewhere.
“A lot of the growers don’t just depend on the local area,” he said.
“We really wanted the river open last week.
“If I get the river open now, we will be able to get some oysters into Sydney so they can start on it, but a lot of the buyers have already organised themselves.
“Really, we have missed the boat, and what we are mainly depending on getting the river open now is to service Batemans Bay and the local market.”
Clyde growers typically expected to sell a combined total of up to 7000 dozen bags to the local market over Easter.
“You are looking at six or seven thousand dozen just there and perhaps another 5000 bags sent out of the area,” he said.
Mr Yiannaros said 222mm of rain had fallen in the catchment since March 24, with 160mm falling between March 24 and 27, with another 50mm between April 2 and 4 and a further 13mm between April 9 and 11.
