The Angasi oyster (Ostrea angasi) also commonly known as Flat oysters occur naturally along the entire coast of NSW and extend into southern Queensland as well as into all the southern states and Western Australia.

Trial hatchery production of seed oysters by NSW DPI and pilot farming of this oyster over the past five years is helping the existing Sydney rock oyster industry to develop a new product line suitable for both local consumption and for export especially into Asia and Europe.

For each of the past five years several (3 to 5) million seed Angasi oysters were produced by scientists at the Port Stephens Fisheries Centre. These small 0.5 mm but cheap ex-hatchery spat were supplied to oyster farmers that had each set up field nurseries at sites in Pambula Lake, Merimbula, Bermagui, Narooma, Batemans Bay, Port Stephens and Yamba. Farmers on the NSW south coast have now established small scale hatcheries to meet their own needs.

As part of the NSW Government’s continued commitment to aquaculture development, NSW Fisheries is providing these farmers with advice on design, assembly and operation of field nursery equipment as well as advice on care and handling of stock. In most cases, results achieved by the farmers using pump ashore field nurseries have exceeded expectations. Growth rate and survival of spat on a diet of wild phyto-plankton have been far superior to that achieved in previous years with hatchery spat fed cultured micro-algae.

Experience gained during four years (1997 to 2000) of trial farming of Angasi oysters on the south and central coasts was reviewed in a special workshop hosted by NSW DPI in March 2000. Results showed that market size is achieved in 18 to 24 months when the Angasi oysters are grown on existing intertidal rack and tray leases developed for Sydney rock oysters and even faster if grown in suspended culture on deeper sub-tidal leases.