Source ABC Rural
Producers of Pacific Oysters will pay a levy to research fighting a virus which is leaving whole farms decimated.
The Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome or POMS virus has been particularly devastating on the New South Wales central coast.
In other places, such as south of Sydney where the Pacific oysters are triploids and therefore cannot spawn, the virus has been avoided.
Tasmanian-based Australian Seafood Industries (ASI), the only brood stock provider to commercial hatcheries, is carrying out the research.
It will collect the levy of $2.80 per 1,000 spat.
The charge has been approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and will operate for 10 years.
ASI general manager Matt Cunningham says work over the past three years has proved promising.
“We think that we are on the way to developing an oyster that is resistant. We are measuring in our field challenges and our laboratory challenge and we are seeing animals survive better than what we have at a baseline level of survival.”
Read the full story at ABC Rural
Image Credit: ABC Rural Ben Millington