The start of the oyster season has been challenging, but a factory manager says it is better than in previous years.
About a month into the season, Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters manager Graeme Wright acknowledged the Foveaux Strait fishery was in a “down cycle", but said it was the nature of the business.
While his oyster boat crews had noticed an increase in the number of oysters with Bonamia exitiosa — an endemic parasite which could kills them — there were also positive signs around with a good growth of juvenile oysters, he said.
"Definitely it has been a challenging season and ... we knew that was coming, obviously because of the science we do. We work very closely with the Ministry of Fisheries and Niwa — we’ve done all our pre-season work, but we are still waiting for the results from the pre-season sampling to be confirmed.
"It looks like we are seeing a bit more Bonamia [exitiosa] in the strait again — but again it is just part of the cycle of the fishery, the way it seems to operate."
Last month, Ngāi Tahu announced it was not fishing for the delicacy this year, claiming its decision to not fish this season was based on the long-term sustainability of the industry.
Mr Wright said while he respected the decision, he believed his company and others in the industry made sustainability a priority and all of them relied on science to ensure they kept the fisheries healthy.
They just took about 3% to 4% of the population each season, he said.
While there were challenges and concerns, he believed the quality had improved this year.
"We are in probably better condition than the last couple of years, but still not what we call primo condition or whatever, but mainly overall, it's definitely better.
"Certainly the fishery has seen these downturns many times in the past — and will see it in the future. Sustainability has been the foremost of everyone’s mind and we will continue to manage and monitor and just hang in there."
Nine boats are operating and catching oysters in Foveaux Strait this season and six of those are managed by Barnes Wild Bluff Oysters.
Mr Wright said while last week was not favourable for them due to rough weather, the first few weeks allowed them to reach about 25% of their quota, which was just a little bit behind the previous season.
Bluff oysterman Willie Calder agreed the season had been a mixed bag.
While the quality was better, the numbers were still not as great as they were in the past.
"We're having to travel a lot further than we normally do.
"Normally we're only an hour from Bluff, now we're [travelling] two — but things are going along OK at the moment."
The oyster season finishes on August 31.
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