Oysters are farmed along the Hawkesbury River in NSW, but a deadly virus, called the QX virus has killed almost all the oysters, and the farmers can't make any money.


SARAH SCHOFIELD: The Hawkesbury River used to be a hub of activity at low tide with oyster farmers, workers and their punts dotting the river's edge. But on this cold winter's morning, it's deserted.

IAN MACDONALD, PRIMARY INDUSTRIAL MINISTER: Once our scientists had evaluated the development of the QX disease within the oysters grown in the Hawkesbury, they came to the conclusion that we should close it down, which we did. This was to prevent any spread across the State, particularly into, say, Brisbane waters which is an adjoining estuary.

SARAH SCHOFIELD: 50 workers have been laid off and half of the farmers have abandoned their leases. Rob Moxhall is a fourth generation oyster grower.

ROB MOXHAM, OYSTER FARMER: A very small percentage of the oysters will survive it. That's if they've built up a resistance to QX. That's one that's in the process of dying. The parasite infects the gut and it starves the oyster and the oyster gradually gets poorer and poorer and poorer until it's just can't survive but it takes months and months to kill it.

SARAH SCHOFIELD: There are two types of oysters grown in New South Wales - the indigenous Sydney rock which takes three to four years to mature and an introduced species called the Pacific oyster which takes just 18 months to grow to full size. The farmers along the Hawkesbury only grew Sydney rock oysters. Winter isn't peak season for oyster sales, but with the Hawkesbury closed down there's a squeeze on supplies and prices have already gone up. Retailers say that come spring and Christmas, Sydney rock oysters will be hard to find and cost a lot more.

And prices are likely to stay high for some time. It will be at least three years before the Hawkesbury River could produce another Sydney rock oyster. In April, the Minister for Primary Industries Ian MacDonald and the Premier Bob Carr visited the farmers and offered an immediate rescue package. It included 200,000 QX-resistant juvenile Sydney rock oysters, a $200,000 grant to supply more oysters next year when the breeding season restarts. The Government offered to waive fees and rent, to provide free financial advice, and to set up a taskforce to look at the long- and short-term solutions.

Well, what do you say to the oyster farmers who are in dire straits?

IAN MACDONALD: Well, we're working hard on their situation. We'll have an overall package by 20 June but also we've just secured 5 million Pacific oysters for immediate delivery, and so we'll be looking on that and working with them on how we can roll that out into the river. That would get them into production very quickly.

SARAH SCHOFIELD: The Minister only secured the Pacific oysters from Tasmania this morning but, despite the good news, the farmers are adamant the clean-up package is the only way forward. They say they're worried by the intensity of the parasite in the river and want to clean up the leases quickly. Earlier this year, a few growers thought they'd try their hand at growing Pacifics. Rob Moxham was one. He says 70 per cent of this crop is now dead.
How much longer can you survive? You've laid off some staff already.

ROB MOXHAM: Well, I've really come to the end of my resources. I can't hang on any longer.