Season ends early to give baby oysters ‘best chance'
Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters will wrap up its oyster season this Friday — nearly two months earlier than usual — in a move aimed at protecting millions of juvenile oysters discovered in Foveaux Strait.
The Bluff oyster season typically runs from March 1 to August 31, but the company has chosen to finish early after harvesting only about half of its allocated quota.
Barnes Wild holds about 60% of the 7.5million Bluff oyster quota.
General manager Graeme Wright said the decision was influenced by both environmental and sustainability concerns.
"There are millions of baby Bluff oysters out there.
"It's one of the biggest reasons we've decided to stop early — we want to give them the best chance to grow and strengthen the wild fishery."
The season had been difficult on several fronts, Mr Wright said.
Unfavourable weather conditions and inconsistent oyster quality further complicated operations.
The presence of oyster larvae on the backs of the adults caught showed the oysters were reproducing well but this also contributed to the supply problem.
About 90% of oyster larvae attach themselves to the shell of an adult and one oyster could carry up to 70 larvae, he said.
During the process of sorting the catch at sea, any oysters with larvae on board were thrown back.
This year "huge amounts" had been returned to the sea.
Records showed there were sometimes gaps of between six and eight years where there was little or no reproduction.
"All of a sudden it's game on and ... we're seeing millions of little baby oysters everywhere.
"Things for the future look really positive."
It took between six and nine years for oysters to reach maturity, Mr Wright said.
It was hard to know why the oysters were in poorer condition, but it could be because they were reproducing, their plankton food supply was not as plentiful or the increased presence of the parasite Bonamia exitiosa.
The history of the fishery showed the oyster harvest was cyclic.
"It's a wild fishery.
"It has its ups and downs."
While it was not an easy decision to make it was a sensible thing to do, he said.
sandy.eggleston@odt.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Clutha had more water breaches than all NZ — Report ‘embarrassing': mayor
ODT GRAPHIC A small Otago council has recorded more drinking water quality breaches than the rest of New Zealand combined, a damning report has revealed. The Water Services Authority report, publicly released yesterday, said it received 565 notifications in 2024 that drinking water was, or might be, unsafe. Clutha District Council was responsible for 338, or 59.8%, of the country's drinking water quality breaches. Mayor Bryan Cadogan said yesterday he could not ignore the report's findings. "They're embarrassing." The supply with the most E. coli notifications was Waitahuna Rural (24), which is owned by Clutha District Council and is on a permanent boil-water notice. In March 2023, the authority issued a direction to Clutha in response to aluminium levels breaching standards across five of the council's supplies. In January 2025, the council met the remaining requirements of the compliance order. Bryan Cadogan. PHOTO: ODT FILES Mr Cadogan said the council accepted responsibility for the "damning indictment", but it had been the after-effects of issues that had been ignored for decades. "So, in the 1970s, Clutha developed the most extensive water scheme in New Zealand for our size. We're the third-longest in New Zealand. It is Auckland, Christchurch, then Clutha. "So, what we've done is we've set up a council-run extensive water system supplying to virtually all our rural and all our towns. No-one else does it. "But the problem with that for us is that when you have council-run schemes, you have consent and you have to abide." The water supply was built for 1.2 million stock units across all the towns. "Unfortunately, that's a real problem now that system is no longer compliant with the New Zealand Water Standards. "The scheme was not only working 100% the way it was meant to, it's producing better water now than it has in all its lifetimes. "But unfortunately, it's like trying to turn a car into an aeroplane." It was only relatively recently the council started addressing the problems, Mr Cadogan said. "That's why our debt [has increased], because our council had no debt only five years ago. "We've got 150-odd-million dollars of debt and all the water plants that we've upgraded are about to be commissioned." Back in the 1970s, the government funded 50% of Clutha's new drinking water system, and struck similar deals with other councils, he said. In contrast, Clutha had needed to pay for all of the upgrades this time, Mr Cadogan said. "And that's why I am horrified at the rate rises that are coming through." "We're stuck with this dichotomy of having the third-longest water recirculation network in New Zealand behind Auckland and Christchurch ... and a population of 19,000." Water Authority head of operations Steve Taylor said it had been working with Clutha District Council to make improvements. "From the outset, Clutha District Council was open to engaging with the authority, sharing information, being honest about their challenges and responding to the directives issued by the authority. "It should also be noted that this report is for the year to December 2024 and considerable work has been completed by the council in the past six months. "We will continue to work closely with Clutha District Council as it addresses issues across its supplies." Clutha District had 13 distinct communities, all with water and sewage, Mr Cadogan said. "Within those 13 communities, there's 27 either water or sewage plants. "If you've got 30-year consent, that means you're doing up at least 27 plants over 30 years. You're basically doing up one a year." Each of those upgrades were in the vicinity of $5m to $20m, he said. Although the authority's report was tough reading, it noted there had been some improvement on last year — Clutha had 98 fewer breaches in 2024. "You just keep on going. It is never-ending. "So, the environmental expectations and the financial capacity and ability for communities like Clutha is really going to test people's ability to pay like never before."
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Season ends early to give baby oysters ‘best chance'
Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters staffer Roger Matahaere shucks hundreds of oysters for the hordes of Bluff Oyster Festival-goers earlier this year. PHOTO: ODT FILES Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters will wrap up its oyster season this Friday — nearly two months earlier than usual — in a move aimed at protecting millions of juvenile oysters discovered in Foveaux Strait. The Bluff oyster season typically runs from March 1 to August 31, but the company has chosen to finish early after harvesting only about half of its allocated quota. Barnes Wild holds about 60% of the 7.5million Bluff oyster quota. General manager Graeme Wright said the decision was influenced by both environmental and sustainability concerns. "There are millions of baby Bluff oysters out there. "It's one of the biggest reasons we've decided to stop early — we want to give them the best chance to grow and strengthen the wild fishery." The season had been difficult on several fronts, Mr Wright said. Unfavourable weather conditions and inconsistent oyster quality further complicated operations. The presence of oyster larvae on the backs of the adults caught showed the oysters were reproducing well but this also contributed to the supply problem. About 90% of oyster larvae attach themselves to the shell of an adult and one oyster could carry up to 70 larvae, he said. During the process of sorting the catch at sea, any oysters with larvae on board were thrown back. This year "huge amounts" had been returned to the sea. Records showed there were sometimes gaps of between six and eight years where there was little or no reproduction. "All of a sudden it's game on and ... we're seeing millions of little baby oysters everywhere. "Things for the future look really positive." It took between six and nine years for oysters to reach maturity, Mr Wright said. It was hard to know why the oysters were in poorer condition, but it could be because they were reproducing, their plankton food supply was not as plentiful or the increased presence of the parasite Bonamia exitiosa. The history of the fishery showed the oyster harvest was cyclic. "It's a wild fishery. "It has its ups and downs." While it was not an easy decision to make it was a sensible thing to do, he said.
Otago Daily Times
24-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Deadline to comply with Healthy Homes rules looms
Hundreds, if not thousands, of Dunedin renters are living in cold, damp and mouldy houses. PHOTO: ODT FILES Time is running out for rental properties to comply with Healthy Homes rules. By July 1, all tenancies need to meet the rules. But what can you do if you're living in one that has not been brought up to standard? What are the Healthy Homes standards, anyway? The rules set basic standards for heating, insulation and ventilation. PHOTO: ODT FILES They have been introduced in stages, but from next Tuesday, every rental property needs to comply. Landlords need to provide one or more fixed heaters that can directly heat a home's main living room. These need to meet the minimum heating capacity. Properties need to be insulated in the ceiling and under the floor, unless the design of the home makes this impossible. Every liveable area needs a window or door that opens to the outdoors and can be fixed open. Kitchens and bathrooms need extractor fans. PHOTO: ODT FILES But what if your home doesn't meet these rules? All rental properties also need efficient drainage, guttering and downpipes and any gaps or holes need to be blocked. If you are reading through that list and thinking the place you're renting is not up to standard, there are a few things you can do. Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment head of tenancy Kat Watson said tenants could start by talking to their landlords or property managers and checking for a Healthy Homes compliance statement in their tenancy agreements. If that does not solve the problem, they could then give their landlords written notice asking them to fix the issues. Tenants can give landlords a 14-day notice to resolve, requiring action on specific things. PHOTO: ODT FILES What if that doesn't work? If you have no luck with these steps, you can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal for help. "An adjudicator can make decisions such as issuing a work order for the landlord to bring the property up to standard, order compensation to be paid for failing to do so in the first place or award damages to be paid by the landlord for not meeting minimum standards for rental properties," Ms Watson said. "For serious or repeated breaches — especially those affecting vulnerable individuals — you can contact the tenancy compliance and investigations team. "Tenancy Services' website has great resources for first-time tenants, to help them understand what to expect and what to look for when moving into a rental home, particularly for those renting for the first time. Tenants are responsible for keeping a rental property reasonably clean and tidy." By Susan Edmunbds
