Port Stephens QX Industry / DPI Working Group

Meeting Summary

The PSQXWG met on 6 November 2023 with NSW DPI and Port Stephens oyster farmers.

Communications. NSW DPI will email and text details of the meeting summary to all Port Stephens oyster farmers and work with the Oyster Extension Officer and NSW Farmers Association to facilitate communication.

Stay Afloat Oyster Community Workshop 20/11 will be held at Lemon Tree Passage Bowls Club from 6-9pm. RSVP to Lynda Sloan 0419 200 719

Financial Safety Net. NSW Farmers has secured funding support from the FRDC and Oysters Australia to look at different financial support mechanisms that might be available to support oyster farmers during disease outbreaks and other interruptions to production. This work will be put out to tender in the coming months.

Lease areas. NSW DPI met with NPWS to consider re-applying for expired oyster leases in the national park estate at Fullerton Cove. NSW DPI also looked at the opportunity to apply for new ground below the Stockton Bridge. NSW DPI advised the simplest option for new POAA was to make application for ground below the Stockton Bridge.

Fee waiver (advice post meeting). The Minister has supported a fee waiver for 2023 – 2024 Fisheries annual fees and Food Authority State levy fees for all Port Stephens Class A permit holders. Applications for a Crown Lands fee waiver will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Extension of flood grant deadlines. Industry were not successful in seeking an extension to grant funding expiry of 30 September 2023.

Spat. NSW DPI confirmed it could do spat production runs if there were a shortfall from private sector hatcheries to support the Port Stephens industry.

Water quality. Port Stephens Council Coastal Management Plan will be on public exhibition in early 2024. This may provide an opportunity for Council and farmers to work together on water quality health issues for the Port. Keep an eye on the Port Stephens Council website.

QX surveillance. During the NSW DPI QX surveillance period (which started in September 2022) Port Stephens oyster farmers are requested to only submit moribund/dead oysters for examination to exclude disease where the mortality is unexplained. QX effected oysters are not required to be submitted during this period. FRDC has contributed $50,000 for QX strain type work.

NSW DPI advised that it was developing a strategy to deal with marine heatwaves forecast this year. Potential effects to be expected on bivalves include:

• Increased pathogen stress such as bacterial families of Vibrionaceae and Campylobacter.
• Mussel byssal thread attachment is also known to be weaker in higher water temperatures, causing drop off from rope-grown mussel farms.
• Possible increase in mortality and physiological stress in water above 21 degrees

How to prepare:

• Relocate stock, if possible,
• Plan for possible food shortages.
• Shading and cooling oysters during increased heat events.

Additionally, DPI is developing a response plan, including an early warning system for future marine heatwave events. Access to the most current MHW data and forecasts can be found on BOM, under the Sea Level Anomaly mapping.

NSW Farmers Association advised that it was funding a consultant to undertake a risk assessment to review the importation of Triploid and Diploid Pacific Oyster, Sydney Rock Oyster and Angasi spat from South Australia.

NSW DPI confirmed that the QX risk rating for the whole Port Stephens estuary was “high” and that this was made through legislative amendment.

All of industry across NSW is required to report any unexplained mortality to NSW DPI Aquatic Biosecurity on 1800 675 888 within 24 hours of witnessing the mortality. The OceanWatch best practice video for biosecurity outlines the process of reporting unexplained mortality. Reporting of oyster and ger movements is now done using the new DPI Shellfish App, which has replaced the IVR system.

SRO Breeding Program. DPI is currently working on this year’s Sydney Rock Oyster breeding program run. A major focus of the run is increasing levels of resistance to QX disease as well as climate change resilience. Following evaluations of the performance of Richmond River oyster genetics the number of families derived from this stock will be increased in this year’s run. This is in addition to the 17 family lines already incorporated into the program in 2022. DPI is currently testing the Sydney Rock Oyster families from the 2022 year class for QX survival in Port Stephens (Karuah) and Georges River (Lime Kiln Bar). QX survival assessments have been expanded to include: a single exposure assessment on spat, a single exposure assessment on adults, as well as a dual exposure assessment on spat and adults that runs over two seasons of disease. QX survival assessments were collected for spat in July this year, and assessments on adults with be collected in July 2024.

Oyster Lease Clean Up. Port Stephens oyster farmers remain responsible for their oyster leases. In 2023, NSW DPI Fisheries Compliance focussed on lease navigational safety and signage. In 2024, NSW DPI Fisheries Compliance will return to a focus on lease tidiness provisions (Chapter 8 OISAS), particularly above the Karuah Bridge. Lease maintenance options for oyster farmers include: farming the lease; leaving leases fallow (Page 53 OISAS); transferring them to another party; or surrendering them free of improvements.

Where a farmer defaults on lease tidiness they may be issued a notice to fix the lease to OISAS standards, failure to comply with the notice will result in a penalty notice. Where the lease is expired they will be required to remove improvements. Where works ordered on an expired lease are not completed, NSW DPI may initially offer the lease at tender, then if not successful at tender engage a contractor to remove all improvements from the lease. The debt arising from this work is then the responsibility of the former lessee. If the debt is unpaid it is referred to debt recovery. If the debt is irrecoverable only then can this payment obligation be recovered from the Aquaculture Lease Security Trust Account. NSW DPI routinely seeks interest from oyster farmers to undertake lease works.

Plastic pollution. A member of the public collected about 2kg of canoe clips over a 12 month period from the shores of Salamander Bay. Farmers are reminded to ensure all infrastructure is secured to the leases and cannot wash off or detach during operations.