Over the next two weeks oyster farmers from the Shoalhaven to the Eurobodalla will descend onto the foreshores of the Shoalhaven River, Clyde River, Tuross Lake and Wagonga Inlet for the mass industry led clean-up event called "Tide to Tip".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This is the second year of the event, which is organised by OceanWatch Australia, that sees oyster growers lead marine debris clean-ups in estuaries across the state.
Out on the water every day, oyster farmers have an intimate knowledge of their local environment, and regularly collect rubbish they find floating in the estuary.
Tide to Tip not only provides a way for the farmers to give back to the estuaries in which they work, but helps to ensure Australian waterways remain pristine and healthy for generations to come.
Local oyster farmers who are coordinating the events are thrilled with the opportunity.
Sally Mclean from Jim Wilds Oysters said she was excited to take part in the event.
"We are so passionate about what we do, it is important to keep our estuary in pristine condition for the excellent water quality our oysters thrive off," she said.
Jim Yiannaros, of Batemans Bay Oysters, said Clyde River farmers also looked forward to the event, after fires, floods and COVID prevented them from participating last year.
"We do it because we value the river," he said.
"Oysters are the canary in the coalmine for the water, and we're their guardians."
Not only do oyster farmers clean-up the area, participants also sort, curate and count the collected rubbish.
A summary of the waste will be documented and analysed by the Australian Marine Debris Database - a program run by Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
In 2020, the inaugural 'Tide to Tip" clean-up involved over 250 oyster farmers from 19 oyster growing regions of NSW and QLD.
Together with the help of community groups 12 tonnes of waste was removed from estuaries.
Linda Fernihough, of Out of the Blue Oysters, said healthy waterways were the key to growing good oysters.
"The oysters are three years old by the time we sell them, and we don't have any way to influence their grothw other than to provide a healthy environemnt for them," she said.
All oyster farmers involved thanked the partners of the program.
Partners include NSW Department of Primary Industries, Local Land Services, Clean-up Australia, Shoalhaven City Council, Eurobodalla Shire Council and OceanWatch Australia. The clean-ups are supported by the NSW Landcare Program, a collaboration of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW Inc. supported by the NSW Government.
