South Australian gulf waters among world's best for commercial shellfish aquaculture, global study finds

South Australian gulf waters were noted for their pristine condition and strict biosecurity controls to keep the valuable oyster industry safe.

South Australian gulf waters and Europe’s North Sea have been identified as having the strongest potential for commercial shellfish aquaculture in a major 2019 global study. International conservation non-profit The Nature Conservancy, the USA scientific agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Adelaide University made the study.

South Australia’s gulf region includes Kangaroo Island, Eyre Peninsula, St Vincent Gulf and Spencer Gulf, which is also home to southern bluefin tuna and kingfish farms. The area is known for its pristine waters and strict biosecurity controls to keep the valuable oyster industry safe

The global study looked at key environmental, socioeconomic and human health to identify regions where governments, international development groups and investors should prioritise new aquaculture efforts.

It found commercial production of shellfish and seaweed can generate in-demand proteins and jobs while having a net-positive effect on the environment by filtering polluted waters and providing habitat for commercially-important seafood.

The study is the first of its kind to examine the global potential for this concept, which The Nature Conservancy refers to as “restorative aquaculture”.

The Nature Conservancy is already leading a shellfish restoration project – the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere – in South Australia’s Gulf St Vincent. It comprises 150 artificial reefs spanning 20 hectares about one kilometre off the coast of Ardrossan on Yorke Peninsula. The reefs were sunk in 2017 and 2018 and the first 30,000 mature native oysters were seeded in January 2018.