Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Farmed oysters under attack

By by Elaine Fisher
Bay of Plenty Times·
8 Dec, 2010 07:26 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Oysters are dying on Rick Yorke's Ohiwa Harbour farm and he fears he may lose up to 70 per cent of his stock.
"It's not just spat under 12 months that are dying, but older oysters as well. I estimate I could lose between 50 and 70 per cent of my
oysters - I'm hoping for the lower figure," said Mr Yorke who took back management of the farm near Whakatane he had leased in 2007, turning around its performance with plans to harvest up to 60,000 dozen oysters a year.
"This year we were looking at our best season so far, until this hit."
The Ohiwa Oyster Farm is one of dozens throughout the upper North Island stuck by what is believed to be a virus which is killing the shellfish.
"Every year, we get some deaths but nothing like this. It went through the farm about three weeks ago and I'm hoping the worst is over," said Mr Yorke.
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand has said the healthy shellfish are safe to eat and, at the popular Ohiwa Oyster Farm roadside shop, it's business as usual with people calling in to buy Pacific oysters.
"It's that way for all oyster farmers because we have to sell the oysters now before they spawn." Once oysters spawn they loose weight and can't be sold until they "fatten up" again.
The New Zealand Oyster Industry Association for Aquaculture New Zealand and MAF Biosecurity are working together to investigate the unexplained Pacific oyster deaths.
Aquaculture New Zealand CEO Mike Burrell said since mid November farmers had seen an increase in the mortality rate of young oysters (known as spat) on farms from the Bay of Plenty in the east and from north of Kawhia in the west.
"Typically, mortality rates for cultivated Pacific oysters are between 5 and 10 per cent. This year the rates on some farms have varied between 30 to 80 per cent which is very concerning for the industry," Mr Burrell said.
MAF has its aquatic disease specialists on the case and has taken 250 samples for analysis to try and determine what is causing the die-back.
Mr Yorke said the impact on his farm was easy to see with open shells among the healthy ones. While it has yet to be determined what the cause of the deaths is, Mr Yorke wonders if heavy rains in spring led to an increase in nutrients washing into harbour, promoting a growth of bacteria in the water.
He's philosophical about the impact on the future of oyster farms. "I liken it to a pukeko crossing the road - some of us will make it and some of us won't. If it happens again next year it might be like trying to cross the motorway in a mobility scooter."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'I wasn't prepared to wait': Youngest Govt MP on seizing his big opportunity

09 Jul 12:26 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

Rugby showdown: Local teams gear up for Baywide semis

09 Jul 06:00 AM

Whakarewarewa dominated Te Puna with a 57-10 win in Rotorua.

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

Rain train: Weather watches keep rolling in for Bay of Plenty

09 Jul 01:32 AM
'I wasn't prepared to wait': Youngest Govt MP on seizing his big opportunity

'I wasn't prepared to wait': Youngest Govt MP on seizing his big opportunity

09 Jul 12:26 AM
'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

'Ecstatic' reunion: Cat found after year-long disappearance

09 Jul 12:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP