New South Wales oysters could be in tight supply this Easter, with harvest on hold across the state.
Heavy rainfall has forced the closure of all harvest areas by the NSW Food Authority, with only one open under the Harvest and Hold Scheme.
NSW Farmers' Association oyster committee chair Todd Graham said that allowed farmers to harvest prior to the reporting of test results, if they believed water quality had improved.
"The day they take a sample they're allowed to harvest the oysters; if the results come back from the lab that they're OK, then the farmers can actually send those oysters away," he said.
Nearly one third of the 90 harvest areas were closed due to sewage discharge which may result in contamination.
"That often happens when you have these heavy rainfall events," Mr Graham said.
"The local systems fail, so sewage does go in, but whenever there's a sewage spill there's an automatic 21-day closure for that estuary regardless of how the water is."
Prior to reopening those harvest areas, both meat and water samples need to return a negative result for E.coli.
Mr Graham said it was too hard to tell when the state's estuaries would reopen for harvest due to the continuous rainfall.
"I'm on the Macleay [River] and every night we're getting anywhere between 10 to 25mm of rain," he said.
"It's very weather dependent, when the rain stops and the estuaries can start clearing up and start getting the salt water back into them, that's when they'll start opening up.
"What you'll find is some estuaries with smaller catchments can open quicker because they don't have as much run-off."
Brutal season for growers
The only area open is Cape Hawke in Wallis Lake for Harvest and Depuration, meaning product collected under Harvest and Hold can be released if depuration requirements have been met.
East 33, one of the country's largest Sydney rock oyster producers, harvested 10 bags from Cape Hawke which are now able to be sold to the public.
"We've been lucky enough that we have a depuration tank so they go in there for a drink for 36 hours before then they can come to the venue," East 33's culinary director Glenn Thompson said.
He said despite the closures, the business would not be short on oysters, with enough stock for its Wallis Lake restaurant and farmgate outlet.
"It's not the bountiful amounts it has been in the past, but there are oysters out there."
The company was also able to source oysters from other harvest areas before they were closed.
"We've been able to pull some from Port Stephens, Cromartys Bay, from the South Coast, Merimbula, Wapengo," he said.
The oysters are then kept in cool rooms at around 12 degrees.
Double blow for Hastings growers
All areas in the Hastings River are closed due to a sewage spill, with the 21-day mandatory period due to end on Good Friday.
"So there goes Easter, but from looking at the river the water won't clear until sometime at least next week," oyster farmer Paul Wilson said.
But for growers, the problem is that every time it starts to clear, the catchment gets another downpour and an injection of fresh water.
"We've had so much rain that the river hasn't recovered from the floods we had in February," Mr Wilson said.
"That's stopped us from being able to sell oysters because there's no salt water and we need at least 18 parts per thousand before we can open."
Since last year's November floods, the river has been closed for harvest for all but a day and a half.
The inability to harvest a crop during their traditional peak season has been tough for growers reliant on the income.
"I think it's been very difficult for them emotionally and financially," he said.
"The fact that it's doubled up the previous year, which was a very similar type of year, and probably this year will turn out to be worse."
