Hope for ‘better start’ to oyster season

28 February / Nina Tapu

Business as usual is what one oyster oracle is predicting for the start of the season.

Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters general manager Graeme Wright said he was optimistic about Southland’s chances for the first harvest tomorrow.

“Weather permitting, we should hopefully get a better start,” Mr Wright said.

Despite “a few rough seasons” and the oyster population “taking a knocking” due to the Bonamia ostreae parasite, oysters were back on the menu, he said.

“We certainly haven’t seen any signs of any new mortality.

“We’re seeing some really positive signs of lots of new recruitment - new baby oysters being born into the fishery.”

The Southland-based oyster company had spent a long time at sea with Niwa doing preseason survey work and he was looking forward to gleaning information from those results, Mr Wright said.

“The last two or three years, the oyster quality has been reasonably average.”

He was looking forward to welcoming back “the 99.9%” of his team who were “geared up” for the seasonal operation, which ran from March through to August every year, Mr Wright said.

“Hopefully, we’re graced with a good day and the boats can just get out there and catch a normal harvest,” he said.

“The demand never ceases to amaze me at the start of the season.

“There’s a lot of passionate oyster people out there lining up to get [the oysters].

“So I’m expecting it’ll certainly kick off with a pretty busy start, as it always has in the past.”