"Most Australian oysters begin life in a hatchery environment before being grown out in trays, baskets and rafts. Pacific Oysters are grown this way. It has enabled growers to take advantage of advances in selective breeding.

The infrastructure used is mostly found in the intertidal zone of South Australia, Tasmania & NSW coastal waters; where oysters are exposed at low tide. A series of posts either support lines, from which baskets are suspended, or racking for trays. The grower will often chose a culture type suited to the local growing conditions and/or the target market. Some production is also found in the subtidal zone where baskets and trays of oysters are suspended from rafts or pontoons into deeper water.

Oysters are handled a number of times in their lifetime. Handling is for grading oysters by size as they grow, to remove dead stock or to reduce oyster spatfall (catch) and infestation from other species. This usually occurs by mechanical means to allow higher processing volumes at least cost. Again, the equipment used varies by farming method. Grading by tumbler or sieve is the most commonly used followed by specialist digital machinery."

The above Introduction was accessed from the oystersaustralia.org.au/farming website.

Cameron of Tasmania are interested in building a online education resource and will continually add information and links from other sites. If you have any interesting facts and fiqures, contact us and we will include your contribution.

In the meantime we have twenty slides depicting microscopic photography. Enjoy.