The New Year has brought welcome relief for South Australia’s shellfish sector, with the Stansbury Harvesting Area officially reopening after a nearly 8-month closure triggered by the detection of brevetoxins linked to an algal bloom.
With such a huge impact on their industry, the Stansbury oyster growers now need your support more than ever.
The first boats were out on the water today, harvesting fresh, healthy oysters, with B&A Fisheries in Stansbury stocking fresh Stansbury oysters from midday today.
Pacific Estate Oysters in Stansbury will have fresh oysters available to the public from midday tomorrow.
Located on the eastern Yorke Peninsula, Stansbury was one of the first shellfish harvesting areas in the state to close back in May, when elevated brevetoxin levels were detected for the first time in South Australian waters. The closure was implemented as a precautionary public health measure, halting oyster harvesting while authorities monitored water quality and toxin levels.
Routine testing by the South Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program (SASQAP), a joint initiative between the State Government and the shellfish industry, has now confirmed that brevetoxin levels in the area have returned to safe thresholds. With those results in hand, harvesting at Stansbury has been given the green light to resume.
Since 1994, SASQAP has overseen a rigorous and ongoing testing regime designed to ensure commercially harvested oysters, mussels, cockles and scallops remain safe to eat. Temporary closures, while challenging for growers, form a key part of that system and are used whenever food safety standards may be at risk.
The reopening is significant not only for Stansbury’s oyster growers, but for the wider Yorke Peninsula community and South Australia’s seafood industry. While some harvesting areas remain closed as monitoring continues, the vast majority of the state’s shellfish licences are now operating in open, unaffected zones, with produce deemed safe for consumption.
PIRSA, through SASQAP, continues to monitor the remaining closed areas, with the aim of reopening them as soon as food safety requirements are met. In the meantime, both the Australian and South Australian governments are providing support to businesses impacted by the algal bloom through the $102 million Summer Plan. The package includes grants of up to $20,000 for small businesses and up to $100,000 for fisheries and aquaculture licence holders unable to harvest their usual catch.
Biosecurity Executive Director Georgie Cornish said the reopening marked an important milestone for the region and those who depend on it.
“The reopening is welcome news for Stansbury’s oyster growers, local residents, the Yorke Peninsula community generally and the seafood industry as a whole,” she said.
“This growing area has been one of the most impacted by these closures, having been the first area to close back in May.”
Ms Cornish also reinforced the importance of the temporary shutdowns, acknowledging the strain they place on industry while emphasising their role in protecting consumers.
“These temporary closures however are essential to protect public health and maintain consumer confidence, and I thank our industry and science partners for their commitment to rigorous testing and monitoring,” she said.
With harvesting now back underway, she encouraged South Australians to throw their support behind local producers.
“With harvesting now resuming at Stansbury, I encourage consumers to support these growers who have been doing it tough by going out and ordering, purchasing and eating our beautiful world class oysters, knowing that they are backed by these rigorous safety standards.”
For more information about the algal bloom response and ongoing monitoring, visit algalbloom.sa.gov.au.
For more information about Stansbury and the local oyster farmers, visit https://stansburysa.com.au/explore/seafood-and-oysters or tune into the Country Hour on ABC radio from midday today to hear their chat with Paul Dee from Southern Yorke Oysters.
