Despite supply chain issues and expected shortages, Canberrans planning on serving seafood over Christmas remain spoilt for choice.
While Sydney rock oysters in some areas have been completely wiped out by disease, stocks along the South Coast remain plentiful.
General manager of Ocean Fresh Seafoods at the Fyshwick Markets, Nick Smith, said suppliers across the South Coast were in full swing, the main issue is shucking all the oysters in time for Christmas.
"Oysters did have a very big hit due to the weather where farms pretty much got washed away. But they're all back in full swing at the moment," he said.
"Everyone's trying to sell their oysters and people can't buy them quick enough.
"Farmers have to find people to open them now, because it's cutting it so close to Christmas."
The disease QX, short for Queensland Unknown, decimated the industry in Port Stephens after it was first found in the area in August last year.
QX kills Sydney rock oysters and while not harmful to humans, the parasite affects the quality of the oyster and makes it unsellable.
In some areas, 100 per cent of the oysters - from juveniles through to mature oysters - have been lost. It takes two-and-a-half years to grow a mature Sydney rock oyster.
Wholesale food supplier, Foodbomb, in recent market updates said there would be no shortage of fresh calamari, King George whiting and local garfish coming from Lakes Entrance.
Flathead should be coming back around after a few slow months and tropical fish, such as goldband snapper and Spanish mackerel, are expected to come down in price.
As ever, the cost of Australian prawns will increase in the lead up to Christmas. However, the price of salmon has gone down and is expected to remain stable over the festive season.
Foodbomb experts predict a great local mussel harvest and recommend keeping crayfish, such as lobster or Balmain bugs, on the radar as the industry ramps up for Christmas. This will lead to an abundance of crayfish, however, prices will remain dictated by export.
"[Fishermen] will go out closer to Christmas and pull all the pots in. And the price will depend on how much they catch," Mr Smith said.
The cost of lobster plummeted in 2020 after a hold on seafood exports to China resulted in oversupply in the local market.
Meanwhile, the Food Supply Chain Alliance - comprised of peak bodies in farmers', food distributors' and hospitality industries - have warned people to expect empty supermarket shelves and higher prices over Christmas unless a labour shortage across the food supply chain is remedied.
The alliance is calling on the government to establish a national food security plan as a matter of urgency.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics consumers are now paying 5.8 per cent more for fish and other seafood than in 2021.
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