Controlling mudworm in oysters
Commercial production of oysters in Australia began with the farming of the Sydney rock oyster around 1870. Initially, oyster beds (5-20 m deep) were dredged and intertidal beds were harvested by hand.
As dredge beds were depleted, rock oysters were imported from New Zealand. These imports of oysters into 12 oyster growing estuaries caused immediate outbreaks of mudworm. Silt accumulation on oyster beds assisted the proliferation of mudworm.
This pandemic permanently destroyed natural sub-tidal oyster reefs, and forced the oyster industry to adopt intertidal farming systems to cope with mudworm.
Consequently, the industry progressively adopted stick and tray culture on intertidal racks in the early 1900s. To a large extent, this farming system protects oysters from mudworm.
Dredge bed culture (a most effective way of oyster farming) has disappeared from all but a few areas in NSW.
This Primefact contains information on the effects of mudworm on oysters, as well as preventative and control measures.
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