Mid North Coast oyster farmers are still recovering from the floods – and Christmas is coming

​​Oyster farmers across the Mid North Coast were hit hard by major flooding in May, with millions of oysters dying as a result of contaminated water or destroyed infrastructure.

With a busy Christmas period on the horizon, the Mid North Coaster spoke to farmers in Nambucca and Laurieton to ask how the industry has recovered – and if it is prepared for the future.

Impact on local farmers: Paul Tessier is the eighth generation of his family’s oyster farming business and son of Nambucca Oyster Co’s current owner Nicholas Tessier. He says the family business lost about 100,000 oysters when the Nambucca River flooded in May.

• “They essentially just washed away, out at sea with the strong current in the [Nambucca] river,” Tessier told the Mid North Coaster.

Lower stock: While flood-related damage has been repaired and Tessier’s farm is back on its feet, the impacts of this year’s major flood event means they have a lower number of stock on offer leading up to the Christmas period.

• “If people are going to get orders, they'll have to get them in early, or as soon as possible,” Tessier said.

Price remains the same: The 20-year-old confirmed despite the drop in stock, the price of their local oysters won't change.

• The Nambucca Oyster Co. sells their medium-size oysters closed at $14 a dozen closed and $20 a dozen opened.

What about the next flood: The Mid North Coast is a flood-prone region. Looking over the past five years, floods have impacted parts of the region every year since 2020, including the back to back major events in 2021/22.

Severe weather events are predicted to become more frequent and more intense, outlined in Australia’s National Climate Risk Assessment. 

With little time in between to recover, what are local oyster farmers doing to deal with the impacts of a changing climate?

Tessier said floods are always a concern for the business. 

• “It's always a risk working with nature like that,” he said, adding “you can't prepare enough" for a flood of the recent scale. However, the company is making adjustments for the future.

• “We're putting more anchors on our rafts to hold them in place and we're thinking of adding some rope systems to hold logs from hitting them, but that's pretty much all we can do really,” said Tessier.

Laurieton impact: Brandon Armstrong, owner of Armstrong Oysters in Laurieton and chair of the oyster committee for NSW Farmers, said it’s been a “very challenging year” with “massive losses” as a result of the floods in May.

• “This is off the back of the 2021/22 major floods” he told the Mid North Coaster. “The last five years have been very impactful, challenging conditions for oyster farmers, and they’re certainly feeling the pressure of that as we now come into our selling season at Christmas time.”

High demand with lower stock: Armstrong said Sydney Rock Oysters are a popular product during the warmer months – making this time of year the busier period for oyster farmers.

• “As the water warms into summer, [Sydney Rock Oysters] come into their prime, which is perfect timing for people who love our oysters.”

Due to low levels of salinity from March following ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred as well as the May floods, Armstrong Oysters will have lower stock on offer.

Explain this: Armstrong says oysters don’t feed well on low salinity due to a lack of salt in the water.

• “They don’t grow, or they sit dormant for a period of time,” Armstrong said.

Smaller oysters for sale: With a lack of growth over the three-to-four month period of low salinity in the water, Armstrong’s oysters haven’t been able to come to full size in time for the summer months.

• “We’ve still got our stock, but unfortunately those bigger, premium grades aren’t as plentiful as perhaps they would be in any other normal year,” said Armstrong, adding that while they may not be as big, they can still be tasty.

Local farmers need support: Armstrong said “the oysters have gone through a rough time” throughout the northern estuaries, particularly the Manning River through to Nambucca River. 

Like the Tessier’s, Armstrong has a farm in the Nambucca River and also lost all his oyster rafts earlier this year. He estimates a loss between  $1.4 and $1.6 million across the business as a result of May floods.

• “We encourage people from the Mid North Coast and surrounding areas to support our local farmers,” Armstrong said. 

He suggests if people can’t find local suppliers in the big supermarkets, to go “knock on the farmers doors”, adding that’s where you’ll find the freshest product at a discounted price.

• “That way the money is going straight into the farmers’ pockets,” Armstrong said.

You can find Armstrong’s farmgate door at 3 Short Street in Laurieton.

An example of cost:
Unopened large oyster $18/ dozen, medium $16/dozen
Special running at the moment: 15 oysters smaller-grade at $25

Thumbnail credit: Armstrong Oysters website.