Bluff Oyster Season 2024 Opens with Careful Management Amid Challenges

The Bluff oyster season is open, with a cautionary approach and after careful assessment of the fishery, Oceans and Fisheries Under-Secretary Jenny Marcroft says.

A pre-season survey by Fisheries New Zealand found that although, like last year, 2026 was likely to be a challenging season, there were good numbers of new oysters beginning to grow to larger sizes, Ms Marcroft says.

Careful management will be required this season with issues such as disease and environmental pressures impacting oyster abundance and condition but there’s encouraging signs as well.

Early results from the annual survey show that these issues are still present in the fishery and careful science-based fisheries management remains vital to safeguarding the fishery’s future.

Fisheries New Zealand conducts the Bluff oyster survey before the start of the season each year to assess the status of the fishery including oyster size, abundance and disease prevalence.

The survey’s preliminary results have found that there is little oyster mortality and large numbers of small oysters in the areas of the fishery. This is similar to last year’s findings.

Fisheries New Zealand officials have been working with local oyster fishers on plans to protect areas with large numbers of small oysters, and set a conservative catch level, Ms Marcroft says.

Bluff oyster fishers have faced tough conditions in recent years and I’m thankful for their collaboration and research that forms the bedrock of this work.

Bluff oysters have been fished for more than 150 years and are some of New Zealand’s most treasured kaimoana. As well as employing oyster fishers directly, Bluff oysters support the local tourism industry and are a delicacy enjoyed nationwide.

Fisheries New Zealand will work with oyster fishers over the first few weeks of the season to continue to assess oyster beds for quality and health to ensure what they are seeing aligns with the survey results, Ms Marcroft says.

I’ve been steadfast in my support for New Zealand’s oyster industry and have been deeply concerned about the issues both Mahurangi oyster farmers in the north and Bluff oyster fishers in the south have been facing.

The Bluff oyster season is open from 1 March to 31 August each year but may end earlier depending on conditions in the fishery.

The full survey will be presented to the Shellfish Working Group in May, and the report will be made publicly available in November.