OceanWatch Australia

Recovery of oyster equipment following floods

Establishing public collection / drop-off stations following flood events to recover oyster equipment

Community Participation - LP041-004

The issue

The oyster industry uses a considerable volume of cultivation equipment in the production of oysters. This equipment is typically constructed of timber or plastic, which can be potentially harmful to wildlife and ecosystem health if lost to the environment. The Feb/Mar 2021 flooding event saw extensive damage to lease areas and equipment and loss of gear to the environment. Oyster growing equipment is expensive, and the recovery of lost gear was essential to enable the industry to rebuild following this disaster.

The solution

Working closely with impacted growers, councils, and other local stakeholders, OceanWatch quickly identified locations around highly-impacted estuaries which could serve as drop-off points for any oyster infrastructure collected during clean-ups. Local growers were requested to regularly check these drop-off points, and to return collected gear to their rightful owner. Posters were developed for local distribution through councils and other groups providing details of the drop-off points and a guide on how to identify oyster equipment. Social media posts were also developed and distributed widely.

The impact

Information about the oyster gear drop-off points was circulated widely. The social media post alone was shared 230 times. While figures on the volume of gear recovered wasn’t gathered, the approach was certainly effective with many growers recovering gear through these efforts. The local coordinator also received ~10-12 phone calls from community members unable to return gear to the collection stations but had seen the posts and wanted the gear returned to industry. The local landcare coordinator was able to facilitate this process.

Author: Laura Stoltenberg

Key facts

  • Public collection stations set-up to enable recovery of oyster infrastructure following March 2021 floods.
  • Large volumes of gear returned supporting farmer's recovery.