Indigenous communities across the Northern Territory have been working in collaboration with the Northern Territory Government to establish a commercially viable oyster farm built around native species, local knowledge and long-term economic opportunity.
That ambition is just a step away from becoming reality as the first commercial sales of NT farmed Blacklip Rock Oysters (Saccostrea echinata) are expected soon. The Blacklip Rock Oyster is a species well suited to tropical conditions, increasingly recognised as a candidate for Indigenous aquaculture in northern Australia.
While farming has steadily advanced since the Northern Territory Government’s program began in 2010, two FRDC-supported projects have played a critical role in answering two market-defining, questions:
- Can these oysters move safely through existing supply chains?
- Can they meet national standards for retail environments?
Cold storage built for the tropics
“Australia’s shellfish quality assurance systems were designed around temperate oysters,” says Samantha Nowland, Senior Aquaculture Research Scientist at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre. “In the tropics, the risks, the environment and the oysters themselves are different.”
Additional questions were raised around these unknowns for a developing tropical oyster sector and in response, FRDC project 2020-043 aimed to address these concerns.
Led by Charles Darwin University, the research combined extensive field sampling with laboratory analysis to understand how tropical oysters behave once they are harvested. The key focus was specifically whether oysters grown in warm waters could retain quality when placed into standard cold storage, as used throughout Australia’s seafood supply chains.
Importantly, the study found that at 4 degrees Celsius, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a relatively common bacterium that may cause food sickness, did not grow =, confirming that tropical oysters can move through existing cold chains and remain safe to eat.
“For a new sector, that’s huge,” says Nowland. “It means producers don’t need to reinvent the supply chain and that tropical oysters can sit alongside other seafood products and meet the same standards.”
Rethinking site selection
While cold chain compatibility addressed one barrier to market, FRDC project 2018-005 tackled another longstanding challenge for tropical rock oysters.
Early testing of wild oysters across multiple locations in the Northern Territory revealed that cadmium levels in some areas exceeded the limits set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Because cadmium occurs naturally in some coastal environments, the concern was that it could restrict where oysters could be safely farmed and sold.
While many samples exceeded the current maximum level, others were well below the threshold, demonstrating that site selection plays a critical role in determining whether oysters meet national food safety standards.
“The data shows this isn’t a blanket problem,” says Nowland. “Site selection matters, farming matters and time in the water matters.”
An Indigenous-led sector takes shape
The majority of the Northern Territory’s coastline is Indigenous-owned land and the future tropical oyster industry is being enabled by Indigenous leadership. Four Indigenous farming organisations are now positioned to transition to commercial production: Yagbani Aboriginal Corporation (South Goulburn Island), Groote Aqua Aboriginal Corporation (Groote Eylandt), Mantiyupwi Pty Ltd (Tiwi Islands), and Thamarrurr Development Corporation (Wadeye).
“It’s important that we have oyster farming on Country, in our mob’s backyard,” says Guy Mankara, who works on the Tiwi Island farm. “The crew already love being on the water, getting out onto boats and fishing, but this farm keeps the business side in the community”
Supported by the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Darwin Aquaculture Centre, Charles Darwin University and the Centre for Developing Northern Australia, these groups are preparing to supply local markets during the dry season, when oysters are in peak condition.
“We build cages and rig lines for the oysters to grow in, but we also work on the water quality sampling too,” says Virgil Kerinaiua. “We’re making sure the oysters are healthy, that they can keep growing and be sold well”.
Looking ahead, the research continues. Plans are underway to develop selective breeding programs to reduce grow out times and improve productivity. Hatchery capability is also transitioning to Indigenous-owned operations, with Groote Aqua Aboriginal Corporation building capacity to supply spat to the wider sector.
“This is about seeing an Indigenous-initiated idea all the way through to commercial success,” says Toby Piddocke, FRDC Project Manager. “FRDC’s role has been to support the science needed at each stage, so communities can move forward with confidence, backed by evidence and real market opportunity.”
