HAWKESBURY RIVER, New South Wales: Oyster farmers in the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales have expanded into tourism to keep their industry alive.
“I’m a big oyster fan and eating them right where they are grown is pretty magical,” said one customer. 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.Their shells, which are composed of calcium carbonate, act as natural carbon cleansers.“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.
“They are the kidneys of the river,” said Ms Beaumont. “So they are actually constantly cleaning the waterway and removing any kind of contaminant.”However, oyster farming is not a simple process, said fellow oyster farmer Jason Barry-Cotter.