BUDGET EXPENDITURE: $294,500 (with a STOP-GO point after $50k Phase 1) 

PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR: Dr James Fensham

ORGANISATION: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service (FFVS)

PROJECT CODE: 2025-040

PROJECT STATUS: Current

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WHY IS THIS RESEARCH BEING UNDERTAKEN? 

This work is being undertaken because the oyster industry is facing repeated, severe, and poorly‑understood mortality events. These events have caused major financial losses, emotional strain for growers, and long‑term uncertainty about whether farms can remain viable.

Despite past investigations, the root causes of many outbreaks remain unresolved. Traditional diagnostic approaches have focused heavily on pathogens, often overlooking the broader environmental, husbandry, and catchment‑level factors that may be driving oyster vulnerability. Many mortality events therefore remain unexplained, leaving growers without practical guidance on how to prevent future losses or when it is safe to restock.

Oysters Australia and industry stakeholders have recognised the need for a more holistic, flexible, and field‑based investigative approach, one that can respond in real time during active mortality events, integrate environmental and epidemiological data, and generate testable hypotheses that lead to practical solutions.

This project is designed to fill that gap:

 

• by deploying aquatic veterinarians directly into affected regions,

• by gathering detailed on‑farm and catchment‑level information,

• by testing hypotheses through trials and diagnostics, and

• by developing strategies that growers can use to reduce mortality risk.

In short, the work is being undertaken to try and understand the multifactorial drivers of oyster mortality in Port Stephens and to provide growers with evidence‑based, functional tools to protect their farms and restore confidence in the future of the industry.

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OBJECTIVES:

1. Site visits to collate descriptive epidemiological information associated with recent mortality events from affected growers in the Port Stephens catchment.

2. Analyse and collate information to identify potential risk factors associated with mortality outbreaks and develop testable hypotheses and further research priorities to be progressed with in Part B or through other research projects. Review outcomes with OA and relevant stakeholders to decide whether to proceed further or not - Stop-Go Point. 

3. Site visits to collate further descriptive epidemiological information to refine ongoing trials and testing approach and assist growers with data capture capability to facilitate data capture and subsequent analysis.

4. Design and implement clinical trials to test hypotheses associated with mortality outcome.

5. Collection of strategic serial samples for diagnostic testing (e.g. necropsy, histology, bacteriology, phycology, molecular biology).

6. Implement equipment to lease sites to capture relevant water quality information (e.g. turbidity, chlorophyll-a, oxygen, phytoplankton, salinity, temperature, contaminants etc).

7. Assessment of geographically relevant land-use, inputs, and catchment monitoring information through consultation with state government aquatic scientists, veterinarians, and environmental officers with spatio-temporal relevance to mortality events.

8. Retrospective epidemiology data analysis (where data permits) to further explore risk factors associated with mortality.

9. Demonstration of alternative approach to mortality investigation in oyster farms to contribute to a national framework for investigation of oyster mortality outbreaks.

 

RESOURCES GENERATED:

• No project resources / outputs are currently available.