Bad weather thins early oyster harvest

Bad weather has put a damper on the start of the Bluff oyster season but it has not stopped Auckland's restaurants and retailers getting them on to plates in the thousands.

The season started last week, but although boats got out for a good day's fishing last Monday, most of the remainder of the week was a write-off for the oyster fleets.

Auckland's Soul Bar and Bistro was lucky to secure a chunk of the first day's haul and get 1200 dozen oysters for its annual oyster lunch. The oysters were taken by road to Dunedin, before being flown north.

"People could have as many oysters as they can eat. And I think some guys got up to about six dozen or more," said general manager Judith Tabron.

The restaurant had to go without the delicacy one day because of the weather disruption.

"It's going to happen all season, when the boats don't go out. After all, it is Bluff. It is the Southern Ocean. But that's what makes them great, is the fact that you can't get them all the time," Ms Tabron said.

Retail chain Foodstuffs said the supply to its New World and Pak'n Save supermarkets was slightly down on last year, but the quality of the oysters was excellent.

"Obviously ongoing supply is weather dependent but we envisage our customers being able to purchase fresh Bluff oysters from our supermarkets at a price ranging between $25 and $27 per dozen," said Murray Jordan, managing director designate at Foodstuffs Auckland.

The Auckland Fish Market managed to get only about 400 dozen oysters last week because of the bad weather, and they were quickly snapped up.

Market manager Tom Searle said now that the weather had improved, it was hoping to get that same number arriving each day.

Graeme Wright, of Southland's Barnes Oysters, said while last week was a poor start to the season, the outlook for this week was much better.

What oysters his firm had managed to offer last week had been snapped up, with 70 per cent going to locals.

Demand from around the country for the oysters was still "crazy stuff", Mr Wright said, with retailers doing anything they could to meet it.

The quality of the season's first oysters seemed to be better than last year.

How much?

* At Barnes Oysters, Southland, $22 a dozen.
* At Auckland's Pak'n Save and New World Supermarkets, $25 to $27 a dozen.
* Served at Auckland's Soul Bar and Bistro, $50 a dozen.