Getting started

To become an oyster farmer, you will need the following:

1. One or more aquaculture leases – the area on which you will undertake oyster aquaculture.
2. A class A aquaculture permit – gives you the authority to undertake oyster aquaculture on your leases.

To apply for a new aquaculture permit, start with the new permit information kit. You will need to prepare a commercial farm development plan (CFDP), a lease maintenance and development plan and a biosecurity management plan. You will need to demonstrate that you have access to a land based facility to enable you to process oysters, store equipment and access waterways. As a permit holder, you will need to contribute to and comply with the NSW Shellfish Program for product safety.

You can acquire aquaculture leases via a few different pathways:

1. Speak to farmers in the estuary you want to operate in, to establish if someone is willing to sell one or more of their current leases to you. If you decide to buy a current lease, you will need to apply to transfer that lease into your name. OceanWatch Australia's NSW Oysters classifieds is also useful resource for finding existing leases that are up for sale.
2. Speak to farmers in the estuary you want to operate in, to establish if someone is willing to sublet one or more of their current leases to you. If you decide to sublet a lease, you will need to submit a sublet application. In a sublet agreement, the lease remains the property of the other farmer, who gives you permission to use their lease via the agreement.
3. Have a look at the department’s spatial portal, identify one or more available priority oyster aquaculture areas (POAA) in the estuary you want to operate in, and submit an expression of interest (EOI) for that area. If the EOI is supported, the proposed lease will be offered via a competitive allocation process (public tender), in which you will need to submit a tender for the proposed lease. DPIRD tenders vacant leases twice a year.

For all four options, you will need to hold a class A aquaculture permit.

If you are interested in starting up an oyster aquaculture business, it is essential that you read the NSW Oyster Industry Sustainable Aquaculture Strategy (OISAS) 2021.