Oysters are a popular delicacy over the holiday period. Worth more than $35 million a year, the oyster industry has been the most valuable aquaculture industry in New South Wales for more than 100 years. But recent weather events have threatened production leading farmers to look to new ways to keep their businesses afloat.
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00:00 Flyde River oyster farmer Kevin McCash fought to protect his sheds and infrastructure during
00:06 the Black Summer bushfires.
00:08 But things would become even tougher, with the impact of heavy rain, flooding and COVID.
00:13 "The last three years has been a bit hectic."
00:18 Oysters are strictly monitored for food safety and can only be harvested in the right conditions.
00:23 Tired of the disruption of freak weather events, Kevin invested more than $150,000 in a wet
00:29 storage tank system, helped through a bushfire recovery grant.
00:34 It keeps oysters fresh, meaning he can still sell his produce when the river is shut.
00:38 "Large rainfall up the river, it'll close the river for perhaps a week or two.
00:43 If we get warning of that, we fill those wet storage tanks up and we can last for a couple
00:48 of weeks."
00:49 Interest in wet storage systems surged among oyster farmers during the La Nina period.
00:54 Authorities are checking to make sure they meet safety standards.
00:57 "Wet storage will just be part of an oyster farmer or mussel farmer's toolbox, where
01:03 he can use that to his advantage."
01:05 At the moment, growers can't even meet domestic demand for oysters.
01:09 By using technology to increase the efficiency of his operations, Kevin McCash hopes to increase
01:14 supply and see Sydney rock oysters exported all around the world.
01:19 "It's just a more efficient way to work."
01:22 While the export trade might still seem like a pipe dream, this farmer is certain he's
01:26 now a little more protected from whatever the weather can throw at him.
01:29 "