During the February 2016 OsHV-1 outbreak in Tasmania, tracing activities in Tasmania and South Australia required substantial follow-up and surveillance to define diseased areas and prove that response measures had prevented entry of OsHV-1. This surveillance was expensive, and PIRSA and DPIPWE developed a strategy to decrease cost for future surveillance. Cost estimates for ongoing surveillance for early detection have been prohibitive, and both the Australian Pacific oyster aquaculture industries and State governments have expressed a need for more cost effective surveillance options for monitoring disease in affected areas and early detection in currently unaffected regions.

Winter mortality is a major cost impost on the Sydney Rock Oyster industry. Its current status as a syndrome of unknown cause prevents methods from being developed to minimise losses, and an improved understanding of its cause is required to begin to develop management strategies. Mitigating losses will increase profitability for the Sydney rock oyster industry.

SA oyster mortality syndrome (SAMS) is a sporadic, regionally concentrated occurrence of high mortality that is not associated with readily detectable pathogens. The use of the terms SAMS implies that these mortalities have commonalities but this is not proven. This project will aim to provide a focused approach to developing a case definition for SAMS and as a result help direct mitigation strategies to reduce or remove the problem. If a cause can be isolated, an on farm decision tool swill be developed to allow better ‘trigger point’ identification for when farm managers need to engage diagnosticians or instigate identified mitigations strategies.