Kavinda Herath/Stuff
Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters staff in Invercargill are being kept busy as the oyster season is in full swing. The discovery of the oyster parasite Bonamia ostreae in the Foveaux Strait has not impacted commercial operations.
Genome sequencing shows the strain of Bonamia ostreae found in wild Foveaux Strait oysters in March is closely related to those previously found in Marlborough and Big Glory Bay. The parasite was first detected in New Zealand waters in the Marlborough Sounds in 2015, before being detected in Big Glory Bay on Stewart Island in 2017 where thousands of farmed oysters were pulled out to protect the wild fishery in the strait.
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“It’s been blowing its socks off,” he said. The fishery was also in good stead for seasons to come, as there had been a “huge increase” in juvenile oysters in the previous two to three years, Wright said. Maturation takes about six to eight years. However, there is concern amongst the fishery after the oyster parasite Bonamia ostreae was discovered in a small area of the Foveaux Strait in late March. A rahui is in place for the area, which has not been fished in the past five years. Biosecurity New Zealand spokesperson Dr Catherine Duthie earlier said we can t stress enough that Bonamia ostreae does not affect food safety and fresh Bluff oysters are safe to eat.”