Fast growing oysters set to grow even faster

Christmas has come early for seafood lovers, with the news that researchers have now halved the growing time for Sydney Rock Oysters - from four years to two.

The NSW Government has announced this was the latest coup in a three-year program which could unlock massive opportunities for the $90 million oyster industry.

Until recently, juvenile Sydney Rock Oysters, or spat, could only be caught from the wild and were limited by seasonal growth patterns.

Now scientists from the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have discovered a way to commercially produce these oysters and selectively breed them so they reach maturity much faster.

Six generations of these selectively-bred oysters have been produced so far at the NSW DPI Port Stephens Fisheries Centre.

Generation five was produced earlier this year and will reach maturity in three years instead of four. DPI distributed 9 million of these juveniles to growers along the coast.

Generation six is now expected to grow at an even faster rate, and should reach maturity in just two years. Orders have been taken for more than 11 million of these.

This is also the first generation to be bred 'out-of-season' at the end of winter, meaning they will be able to start growing straight away during the warmer months.

This research will be a massive boost to the NSW oyster industry, which is worth more than $90 million along the total production chain and supports at least 800 jobs.

Oyster cultivation is undertaken in more than 30 estuaries along the NSW coast, from the Tweed in the north past Eden, in the south.

Top production areas in 2002/03 included the Hawkesbury River, Wallis Lake, Camden Haven, Clyde River, Port Stephens, Brisbane Water and Hastings River.

The industry response to DPI research has been overwhelmingly because growers recognise this could help them access new markets nationally and overseas.

Indigenous communities along the coast are also involved in this project, as part of the Government's commitment to develop Indigenous involvement in aquaculture industries.

Work on this selective breeding research has been running for more than a decade. The current three-year program to commercialise hatchery production of Sydney Rock Oysters began in July last year.

It is supported by the NSW Government in collaboration with the NSW Oyster Research Advisory Committee, which won almost $700,000 in funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.