Oyster Harbour floating shellfish nursery to boost Albany aquaculture production

Albany’s Oyster Harbour is now home to one of Australia’s first large-scale floating oyster nurseries set to plug a gap in the region’s shellfish aquaculture production.

A floating upweller system — or FLUPSY — is now floating off a jetty at Emu Point, containing one million oyster spat which will eventually be transferred on to Leeuwin Coast’s commercial oyster lines.

The FLUPSY — backed by $125,000 from the WA Government — is estimated to have the capacity to produce 5-10 million 5mm rock oyster seeds per year.

The WA-designed structure was built by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and is one of the first large scale FLUPSYs in Australia.

The technology pumps seawater upwards through mesh pots to feed oyster seed naturally occurring food particles and phyotoplankton, eliminating the need for supplementary food.

Harvest Road aquaculture general manager Justin Welsh said the FLUPSY would help fill a gap in the Albany aquaculture chain, housing oysters too big for the Albany Shellfish Hatchery and too small for Leeuwin Coast’s commercial farming technology.

“They are a really, really powerful tool for taking pressure off hatcheries, giving them more capacity to produce spat and helping to accelerate the growth rates on the farm,” he said.

It comes as Leeuwin Coast is expecting to complete the first phase of its upgrades at Emu Point by March with a new shellfish nursery.

The next phase will include construction of a packaging facility, parking improvements and public walkways.

Fisheries Minister Don Punch said the technology being trialled in Albany would play an important role in emerging shellfish operations across WA.

“Albany’s new floating upweller system will help oyster spat to feed and grow in a very efficient and sustainable nursery, ensuring the timely supply of oyster seed to commercial shellfish operators,” he said.

“The department is also continuing to develop the FLUPSY concept for use in saucer scallop nurseries to provide cost-effective stock enhancement opportunities for wild fisheries to mitigate the impact of marine heat waves on valuable fisheries resources.”