Rough oyster season coming to an end

30 August / Otago Daily Times

Shuckers at one of the main oyster factories in Southland were at full throttle yesterday making the most of the last days of the season — which has been badly hit by the weather.

The season comes to an end tomorrow but the weather did not seem to be playing its part.

Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters general manager Graeme Wright said it had been like that the whole season.

“I think we lost about 50% of the fishing days because of the weather.

“The weather has been the worst of my time here — 28 years.”

While he believed his boat would not be able to go out to Foveaux Strait today, he hoped it could go tomorrow for a last catch.

“We’ll probably meet about 85% to 90% of our quota this year.”

It was a very challenging season, not only due to the weather but also environmental factors that had affected productivity, Mr Wright said.

From its preseason survey, it was expecting a “little bit” of an increase in Bonamia again in the Straits.

“We certainly saw an increase in mortality, which results in lower-density oysters and… the quality has also been a little bit average.

“There’s been some lovely oysters, but there’s been a lot of oysters that the quality just hasn’t been good.

“Unfortunately, that’s just Mother Nature and wild fisheries,” he said.

While the factory will be closing next week, his work will continue — preparing for the 2025 season.

It was still too early to predict what would happen next year, Mr Wright said.