SCRC: Piloting Commercial Scale Supply of Mass Selected Sydney Rock Oysters
People development program: 2014 FRDC Visiting Expert Award - Associate Professor Dale Leavitt
Oyster farmers are increasingly trying to diversify their crop by purchasing hatchery-sourced oyster spat, in addition to wild-caught oysters. In order to take full advantage of the increase in commercially available hatchery spat, farmers want to be able to purchase seed directly from hatcheries, in addition to purchasing seed from land-based nurseries. Currently, hatchery-produced spat is held in a land-based commercial nursery for up to 6 months until it reaches a size that can be handled (>4mm) by oyster farmers using conventional trays, baskets, and tumblers. Floating Upweller Systems (FLUPSY) are a proven technology that provide farmers overseas the infrastructure required to grow delicate nursery stage oyster seed at a significantly faster rate than sock/tray and land-based nursery methods. By enhancing the husbandry of nursery oysters, growers will cultivate a more robust crop and will reduce the cultivation time, increasing profitability. FLUPSYs can also be solar powered which is a practical, affordable and sustainable technology that would significantly benefit oyster farmers with limited land-based access that wish to diversify and grow their businesses. There is a need to bring an expert to Australia to assess the feasibility of FLUPSYs in Australia, including the application and construction of FLUPSYs in Australian systems. FLUPSY technology has been pioneered and developed extensively among oyster farms in the USA and Canada, supplying an increasingly affordable, sustainable and accessible technology for oyster businesses of varying scales. Therefore, current information about the application of FLUPSYs will be well received within the Australian oyster industry.