Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters (SCWO) and oyster farmers of Merimbula Lake hosted an estuary tour for key stakeholders of the industry which focused on the importance of the estuary’s environmental management on Friday, June 1.
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Farmers navigated punts around the oyster leases, beginning the tour with an information session on modern farming practises and techniques.
SCWO chair Brett Weingarth said that Merimbula was the third largest Sydney Rock Oyster producing estuary in the state.
Last year, Merimbula’s oyster industry was worth $4 million, 25 per cent more than the year previous.
“There are about 30 farmers who produced 540,000 dozen oysters,” Mr Weingarth said.
Farmers continued the tour identifying issues of the estuary and surrounds including; the development of the airport, urban development along the foreshore, mangroves, water quality, sewerage and erosion.
Environmental systems manager of SCWO Jillian Keating was pleased to have addressed some of the development issues and hopes that council laws will become more environmentally sensitive.
The themes of discussion involved new recommendations communicated from farmers to council staff, “everything from estuary health and development control.”
Council said it looked forward to working in partnership with the oyster farmers to develop improved environmental control measures.
“It was great to address the development issues and how to be more environmentally sensitive,” Ms Keating said.
Councillors Cathy Griff, Sharon Tapscott, Liz Seckold and Robyn Bain found the tour very informative.
“I thought the tour was great, it is quite beneficial in terms of being a councillor and looking at the variety of planning and environmental issues that all come into play with the activity in the lake,” Cr Bain said.
“It is a stark reminder that we have to think about that all the time.”
Cr Bain said council will take immediate action on the management of litter in the grate system under the boardwalk.
“It has been forgotten and is something we can address immediately, to get the grate cleared of litter which gets backed up after rainfall,” Cr Bain said.
Councillors mentioned how educational the tour was, to see the different issues that the Merimbula oyster farmers encounter in terms of water quality and estuary health.
“I realised how interrelated the oyster industry is with the lake and the surroundings and that we all must pull together, particularly as it is such a terrific tourism feature,” Cr Seckold said.
Merimbula Tourism representatives, South East Local Land Services and BVS councillors and staff, Fisheries and other key stakeholders attended the tour alongside oyster farmers of three different estuaries.
“It was great to have such good representation here, we are really pleased that everyone came out on such a miserable day and was part of the conversation about the oyster industry and how it fits into the community and how we can keep working with each other,” EMS coordinator Jillian Keating said.
