Oyster farmers in Australia expand into tourism, offer in-water dining experience to keep industry alive

HAWKESBURY RIVER, New South Wales: Oyster farmers in the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales have expanded into tourism to keep their industry alive. 

Some have started a quirky in-water dining experience, where patrons enjoy freshly-harvested oysters that are shucked while they are standing knee-deep in the river. 

Oyster farmer Sheridan Beaumont, founder of Sydney Oyster Farm Tours, came up with the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic and now serves her produce in the Hawkesbury River.

AN UNUSUAL DINING EXPERIENCE

“Basically when social distancing measures came into place, I wasn’t able to run a viable tour because I was only allowed to have maybe two people on my boat,” she said. 

“And so I thought, why don’t I just pop them in the water and socially distance them that way.”

Her customers have to don chest-high waders to get to their table. But it becomes a fun and unique gastronomic experience in the water, as they open their oysters and sip champagne while enjoying wide-open views of the river. 

“I’m a big oyster fan and eating them right where they are grown is pretty magical,” said one customer. 

Another patron said: “We’re in one of the most beautiful places we could possibly be in and they’re super fresh.”

HOW OYSTERS ARE FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE

These oyster farms are also playing a crucial role in the battle against global warming, according to experts.

One of the key advantages of oyster farming is that farmers do not have to produce the food to get the oysters to grow. Oysters eat phytoplankton or small bits of algae suspended in the water.

Oysters also do not produce methane, unlike cattle and sheep.

Their shells, which are composed of calcium carbonate, act as natural carbon cleansers.

“That calcium carbonate is actually removing carbon from the carbon cycle,” said Ms Beaumont. 

“So as we grow these oysters, so long as we do not put their shells back in the river and put them on land or somewhere safe, you are going to find that you are actually removing carbon from that carbon cycle. By doing so, you are reducing those greenhouse gases and you are then going to reduce the effects of climate change.”

Oysters filter the water naturally, making the environment much cleaner for marine life by removing excess nutrients and other pollutants. 

“They are the kidneys of the river,” said Ms Beaumont. “So they are actually constantly cleaning the waterway and removing any kind of contaminant.”

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY

However, oyster farming is not a simple process, said fellow oyster farmer Jason Barry-Cotter. 

“You’ve got hot weather, you’ve got floods, you’ve got worms and viruses,” he added. “It means washing the mud down.”

Tourism chiefs are recognising the potential for such experiences, noting that overseas visitors, many of them from Asia, have been keen to sample the Hawkesbury River’s tasty delights. 

This also suits the sustainability image that the Australian tourism industry wants to promote.

Ms Claire Allchin, international media coordinator at Tourism Australia, said: “I think sustainability is just something that is part of everything we do now. We just like to have that undercurrent throughout.”