July 15, 2015 — Oyster growers in New South Wales may soon move their oysters into land-based tanks in an attempt to protect them from weather conditions threatening the future of the industry.

A research project is underway at the National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, looking into the viability of growing oysters in tanks for more than three weeks.

Sydney Rock Oysters in the very last stages of growth are being kept and fed in tanks and monitored for changes in condition.

Under the plan, growers would remove their oysters from rivers and estuaries late in the growing process, to protect them from floods, storms and pollution events.

Oysters are vulnerable to weather events and water pollution, and industry regulations often see large quantities of oysters labelled not fit for sale.

Heavy rain events can close estuaries for months at a time due to poor water quality.

The centre’s aquaculture operations manager, Ken Cowden, said they wanted to find out if it was viable to remove oysters from their natural environment for so long.

Read the full story from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation