Bad weather and poor quality put brakes on oyster catch
Bouts of bad weather and poor quality shellfish mean this year's oyster season has some catching up to do, says a long-term industry supplier.
Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters manager Graeme Wright said every wild fishery experienced up and downs, but so far, 2025 had been a difficult season.
"Overall the industry is probably slightly behind — the bulk of that's due to weather."
The industry, with the help of the Ministry of Fisheries, undertook a survey before the season started to assess sustainability and disease status.
Foveaux Strait oysters were closely monitored for signs of Bonamia exitosa which caused high mortality in the wild fishery beds. The exitosa strain was different from the Bonamia ostreae strain found at Big Glory Bay about 2017.
"There's no other fishery in New Zealand that (surveys) happen like that. So it's a very well-monitored and managed fishery.
In the past, the industry had been closed for consecutive years to recover from a disease which killed about 92% of the oyster population."
He expected the latest survey would reveal an increase in the prevalence of Bonamia (exitosa) again.
He believed fast moving water through the strait provided a unique environment which might prevent many diseases from becoming established.
"The guys are seeing some mortality out there, but that's not unnormal."
While the disease's presence was more cyclical other factors such as food supply could also impact the shellfish's quality and quantity.
"It almost appears like there's just not a lot of food around for the oysters.
"But we don't really understand what drives those sorts of process. But the industry certainly acknowledges that the quality is not good and we're seeing catch rates slip back a little bit."
"On the positive side, we're seeing millions and millions of little baby oysters, so there's been pretty good recruitment."
The season normally runs from March to the end of August each year and depending on the harvest level, boats can finish early — some Bluff boats have almost filled their 2025 quota.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Venomous spider with 'sinister bite' spotted in South Island
Researchers are warning about the spread of a venomous spider with a "potentially sinister bite" which has officially established itself in New Zealand. The noble false widow spider has been sighted in Christchurch and Nelson after first being seen in Wellington last December. Professor Steven Trewick, an evolutionary ecologist at Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University said the spider was not aggressive but may bite in self defence. "Most bites result in mild symptoms such as swelling, redness and pain. "However, some have been linked to more serious effects including tissue necrosis, nausea, hypotension, impaired mobility and secondary bacterial infections that may be resistant to standard antibiotics." The invasive arachnid has been dubbed "Britain's most dangerous spider' after a bite left a man struggling to walk. Prof Trewick led efforts to confirm the spider's identity by comparing its physical features and analysing DNA from a sample collected in Porirua. Since the initial Porirua sighting, the spider has also been confirmed in Christchurch, Nelson, Northland and Waikato. "It appears to be thriving in urban environments, particularly around gardens and outdoor furniture. "It is most often found under plant pots, tarpaulin and in fence crevices, while males are seen at night on exterior walls or the ground." Although considered less dangerous than black widows, the venom of the noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) contained similar toxins. "Particularly concerning is its association with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Infections resulting from bites don't always respond to treatment, and that's a significant medical concern,' Professor Trewick said. Originally from the Canary Islands and Madeira, the spider has become well established in Europe, North and South America and now New Zealand. While the full impact of this spider on native wildlife was yet to be fully understood, Professor Trewick says its arrival reflected broader global patterns. 'This is part of a wider pattern of biodiversity loss and rapid environmental change. Invasive species like this one highlight how globalisation and climate shifts are reshaping our ecosystems, often at the expense of native wildlife.' Suspected sightings of this spider can be freely uploaded to iNaturalist NZ and help researchers discover the extent of the invasion. - APL
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Makeup event to be staged after rain stops carnival
The Midwinter Carnival team says it is working towards a makeup event in the coming weeks after organisers had to cancel the second night of the carnival at the weekend because of heavy rain. A spokesman for the carnival said it was a difficult decision to cancel Saturday night's events especially after the "magic and joy" of Friday night. However, the safety and wellbeing of the audience, performers and crew had to come first. Ticket refunds were not available because the event was called off due to extreme weather. "As a not-for-profit charitable trust, the Midwinter Carnival must still meet the full cost of delivering the event, including infrastructure, staffing, artist fees and materials." A statement on Saturday said a makeup event for the Saturday ticket holders was being planned. It would offer a chance for Saturday ticket holders to come together and still experience a little bit of carnival magic. The event would feature lantern installations, live music, performers and more. Further details, including the date and location, would be shared soon, the statement said. Despite not being able to put on a second night at the weekend, the Midwinter Carnival organisers were proud of what was delivered on Friday, the spokesman said. "We're proud of what was achieved and so grateful for the magic we did get to share together." The theme of the festival this year was Wings of Wonder and First Church was transformed into a glowing display of things fantastical and winged on Friday night. New Zealand native birds, mythical creatures and small critters, including the classic butterfly, were featured. Coastal Dunedin bore the brunt of heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. In total, 78.5mm of rain was recorded at Pine Hill in the 48 hours to 1pm yesterday. — APL
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Climate strategy makes ‘lot of progress'
Dr Rebecca McLeod. Photo: ODT files In the six months since the Otago Regional Council adopted a climate strategy "a lot of progress has been made", principal strategy adviser Rebecca McLeod says. Further, Dr McLeod said two large pieces of work would soon come to councillors for their consideration. She presented councillors with the organisation's first "annual report" on the implementation and effectiveness of its climate strategy last week. "It's only actually been six months since the climate strategy was adopted in December last year, but we think quite a lot of progress has been made in a short time," Dr McLeod said. Climate change was a strong theme in the council's work, which "cuts across" all 18 of the council's strategic directions, she said. Significant progress had been made on an organisational emissions inventory, which was a "really foundational piece of work" for the council. That work is due to be presented to councillors before the end of the year and will provide a foundation for the council's yet to be developed emissions reduction plan. Secondly, Dr McLeod said a gaps analysis was planned for next year that would involve working with teams across the council, but also with other councils in the region, to look at "what we should be doing or could be doing more of or less of in order to meet the goals of the climate strategy". That work was due to take "a bit of time", but staff planned to present the analysis to councillors in the first half of next year. The gaps analysis would start to look at sequestration opportunities across the region "and then what the role is of the regional council in that space". "There's quite a bit of interesting work going on at the moment at the national government level where they're starting to look at whether they should be supporting a voluntary credit system for nature credits," Dr McLeod said. "And there's also work going on looking at whether coastal wetlands should be brought into the ETS [Emissions Trading Scheme]. "So that's actually quite good timing for us. "Hopefully, by the time we've finished the gaps analysis or got some way through the gaps analysis, the national direction on that will be quite clear." A statement from the council said that most of 53 actions in the council's climate strategy were "on track". Forty-three actions were on track, while four actions were "off track", those actions largely awaiting the outcome of central government policy reform, the statement said. Actions included in the strategy were those that would drive a reduction of the organisation's carbon emissions, several that would deliver better environmental monitoring and others that would lead to the region adapting to a changing climate, it said. — APL
