Australian Oyster Farming Collapsing - Would Need "Biblical" Rain To Rebuild Production - SMH

[hatrack]

EDIT

In a normal year, the Campbells could produce 300 to 350 bags of the best. Mr Campbell boasts that Tuross Lake has no pollution sources and he is grateful it escaped the QX virus which nearly wiped out the industry further north.

But to recover, they need a flood, like those of 1991 and 1992, which covered the floor of the shed by about a metre. For that they need rain ''of biblical proportions''. Then it would take four years to get back to full production.

Mr Campbell used to be furious with the Government because he joined fellow oyster farmers in a campaign to get the Tuross River dredged to avoid its mouth closing because of a lack of rainwater. They could see the disaster looming, but over the many years that the Government dithered, the dredging cost rose from $100,000 to about $1 million because of sand build-up, he said. Where there were 15 oyster farmers, there are now six or seven.

Some locals have proposed reopening the river mouth, leading to stormy debate at a recent community meeting. But Mr Campbell got tired of being ''mad all the time'' and now he just waits for rain.

EDIT

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/oyster-farming-a-mere-shell-of-its-former-self-20100111-m2s8.html

[Deep13]

1. Australia is drying up. nt

[depakid]

2. Parts of the South Coast have been hit pretty hard- but areas north of Sydney have been doing fine

Actually, "better" than fine. Too much rain.

Oyster production runs from Eden to Tweed Heads- a distance of about 1,300 km.