Carbon neutral seafood is on the rise and farmers are looking to gain accreditation for their product.
While oysters outperform land-based protein from an environmental perspective, according to researcher Dr Rachael Marshall, that has not been well communicated to consumers.
Oyster aquaculture is a no feed, no waste industry and oysters actually remove, concentrate and store surrounding carbon to grow their outer shells.
But oysters also release carbon into the surrounding waters through respiration and shell erosion.
Dr Marshall, a marine researcher at NineSquared was commissioned by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and Oysters Australia to investigate the opportunities for oyster farmers in the carbon market.
"Consumers are now looking for products that can demonstrate these sustainability claims," she said.
"Look at grassfed beef, or carbon neutral beef, it's slightly more expensive — or RSPCA chicken is a little bit more expensive. People vote with their wallet.
"The good thing about oyster farming is they are already really, really really, low emissions."
To prove carbon neutral status, farmers would have to measure carbon emissions through the life cycle from spat to harvest and then either look to reduce emissions or purchase carbon offsets.
In Western Australia, Harvest Road Oceans, through its label Leeuwin Coast, remains the first and only aquaculture brand in Australia with officially certified carbon neutral aquaculture products.
It remains to be seen whether growers believe the premium for carbon neutral oysters would be able to justify the costs of accreditation.
Will farmers look to prove carbon neutral status?
Oyster farmer Shane Buckley, from Wapengo Rocks in NSW, said it was something he was definitely interested in pursuing after receiving certified organic accreditation more than nine years ago.
"We already do some of the things that would be required for carbon-neutral status," he said.
"We generate more power than we consume on the farm and that helps to provide offsets to place against other farm practices.
"Along with the use of low emission outboard motors, we are also using dynamic growing infrastructure, which allows sunlight back into the lake to allow seagrasses to grow, which increases carbon stocks."
Shane Buckley said consumers were now more interested than ever to know where their food came from.
"The consumer has become way more aware of what they are putting into their mouths," he said.
"I think the pandemic has a had a lot to do with it, during lockdowns people were making decisions on what to consume from home and doing more research and making better choices.
He thought the option would be attractive to many farmers, but take a while to get off the ground.
"So if the consumer speaks, other farmers will come on board," he said.
"And once more people are taking up the accreditation it won't become as big an impost on the business."
The outlook beyond carbon neutral status
Experts have pointed out that while there are many different incentives for land-based farmers to address their emissions through the Emission Reduction Fund, aquaculture is falling behind.
Some researchers like Dr Marshall believe the industry needs to look beyond chasing a carbon neutral label to sell a broader environmental story.
"I don't think we've scratched the surface on telling the good story about oysters," Dr Marshall said.
"Oyster aquaculture is one of the most pristine aquaculture operations, it provides delicious food, great protein, jobs in regional areas.
"There's so much growth potential, we can't even grow enough oysters for our own local markets — why aren't we putting effort into growing the industry?
"In the next few years it's going be broadened up beyond carbon emissions to other ecosystem services and that's the real story."
