Angry oyster farmers have formed a blockade at Haslam, 45 kilometres from Streaky Bay, to stop trucks carrying oysters from waters affected by an algal bloom. The protest comes after 20 tonnes of oysters from the closed growing area of Franklin Harbour were moved to open waters in Haslam on Wednesday, a decision approved by Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA).
Local growers say they were caught by surprise by the government's decision to allow the movement of oysters from Franklin Harbour, which was closed as a precautionary measure in July due to the harmful algal bloom. Wayne Holmes, who is at the protest with half a dozen others, said they would not leave until they received confirmation that the Franklin Harbour oysters were safe. “They did tell us that they were accepting translocation applications, but no one was informed that it had happened,” he said.
SA Oyster Growers Association chair Peter Treloar said the peak body and its members felt “blindsided” by the government decision to approve the relocation without consulting them. Treloar met with Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven, PIRSA and the South Australian Research and Development Institute on Thursday afternoon. He noted that the organisation's phones had been “running hot with concerns from growers”. “The government is saying to us that the risk is minimal, and that may well be so, but a minimal risk is some risk and we don't want to spread the bloom unnecessarily,” he said.
Coffin Bay Shellfish manager Glyn Owen expressed concern that moving oysters from closed zones could spread harmful algae or brevetoxins to nearby growing areas like Streaky Bay and Smoky Bay. “You could decimate the whole industry and until the science tells us they won't, they shouldn't be shifting it,” he said. Owen noted that the oyster industry is worth $50 to $60 million, second only to tuna in aquaculture income.
Member for Flinders Sam Telfer said his phone had been “blowing up” with messages from concerned farmers. He expressed surprise that the relocation had occurred without significant consultation, as he believed assurances had been given at the Oyster Growers Association AGM two weeks prior that such moves would not happen without communication with growers. PIRSA stated that it had approved the application following a “thorough independent risk assessment and analysis”.
