'It's pretty grim': Port Stephens oyster farm devastated by acid
Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business.
"In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week.
Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white.
He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product.
Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat.
"It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?"
Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy.
But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees.
"I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?"
Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour.
"Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted."
"Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white."
The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living.
Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies.
The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock.
Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business.
"In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week.
Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white.
He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product.
Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat.
"It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?"
Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy.
But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees.
"I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?"
Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour.
"Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted."
"Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white."
The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living.
Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies.
The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock.
Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business.
"In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week.
Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white.
He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product.
Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat.
"It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?"
Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy.
But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees.
"I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?"
Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour.
"Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted."
"Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white."
The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living.
Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies.
The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock.
Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business.
"In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week.
Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white.
He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product.
Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat.
"It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?"
Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy.
But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees.
"I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?"
Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour.
"Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted."
"Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white."
The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living.
Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies.
The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
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The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
'Dead flat': Newcastle surfers in tsunami alert area ahead of pro contest
Jackson Baker's thoughts quickly turned to the people of Hawaii when tsunami warnings were issued after the Russian earthquake, warnings which extended to America's west coast where he is waiting to compete in a professional surfing contest. Baker and fellow Novocastrians Ryan Callinan, Morgan Cibilic and Julian Wilson have spent this week waiting for some suitable surf to develop at Huntington Beach in California. The iconic break is hosting the third event of the Challenger Series, the World Surf League's second-tier series which surfers compete in to try and qualify for the following year's Championship Tour. The contest has had several lay days due to what Baker described as "pretty much dead flat" conditions, but took an interesting turn on Wednesday (AEST) when news of the earthquake prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific. "Day one when I got here, which was a Friday, it was super fun, pretty standard Huntington. Literally since then it's become un-surfable," Baker said, speaking to the Newcastle Herald from America on Thursday (AEST). "I heard the tsunami warning but was never really super worried about it, knowing that Hawaii was in front of us and that was an area they were worried about. "[The earthquake] being in Russia and so far away from where we are ... there wasn't really alarms going off here like there was on the North Shore of Oahu [in Hawaii]. "It was pretty chill. The comp wrote in our group chat about it and kind of warned us, a few protocols, but nothing was ever too serious. "We were down there at 6am looking at the conditions early and everything seemed all good. It was never too much of a worry." At the end of another lay day when he spoke to the Herald, Baker was hopeful for better surf come Friday (AEST). The US Open of Surfing begins with a men's round of 80, which Wilson will start in, but Baker, Callinan and Cibilic begin in the round of 64. The Challenger Series (CS) began with Newcastle Surfest in June, and had its second stop in South Africa last month. After a round-of-64 exit in Newcastle and only advancing to the round of 32 at the Ballito Pro, Baker is ranked 42nd ahead of the Huntington contest. Callinan is ninth, Cibilic is 24th and Wilson, who missed the South African event, is 71st. Given this week's event is the third of seven CS contests, there remains plenty of time for Baker and his countrymen to improve their rankings as they chase a return to surfing's top tier. Only the top-10 ranked CS surfers qualify for next year's Championship Tour. "It's definitely not the start to the year that I would have wanted," Baker said. "You'd think having your first event in Newy, I would have much rather got a result like Ryan [second]. "But I'm super happy for Ryan, he is in a great position to get back on tour. For me, I just want to join him, so that fuels the fire to get on the horse and start to get some points. "This event hasn't really been the best one for me in years past, but I've been putting in the work. Everything feels good; the boards, my body feels 100 per cent, which it hasn't been before, so I'm definitely happy about that ... the only thing I can control in these small conditions is my head space and take it heat-by-heat. "To make some heats and gain some confidence would be amazing heading into an event that I really love over in Portugal and then into Brazil where I did well last year." Baker fell off the Championship Tour in mid-2023. Callinan dropped out mid-season this year. Cibilic hasn't been in the top tier since 2022, while Wilson is making a professional comeback after retiring in 2021. Jackson Baker's thoughts quickly turned to the people of Hawaii when tsunami warnings were issued after the Russian earthquake, warnings which extended to America's west coast where he is waiting to compete in a professional surfing contest. Baker and fellow Novocastrians Ryan Callinan, Morgan Cibilic and Julian Wilson have spent this week waiting for some suitable surf to develop at Huntington Beach in California. The iconic break is hosting the third event of the Challenger Series, the World Surf League's second-tier series which surfers compete in to try and qualify for the following year's Championship Tour. The contest has had several lay days due to what Baker described as "pretty much dead flat" conditions, but took an interesting turn on Wednesday (AEST) when news of the earthquake prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific. "Day one when I got here, which was a Friday, it was super fun, pretty standard Huntington. Literally since then it's become un-surfable," Baker said, speaking to the Newcastle Herald from America on Thursday (AEST). "I heard the tsunami warning but was never really super worried about it, knowing that Hawaii was in front of us and that was an area they were worried about. "[The earthquake] being in Russia and so far away from where we are ... there wasn't really alarms going off here like there was on the North Shore of Oahu [in Hawaii]. "It was pretty chill. The comp wrote in our group chat about it and kind of warned us, a few protocols, but nothing was ever too serious. "We were down there at 6am looking at the conditions early and everything seemed all good. It was never too much of a worry." At the end of another lay day when he spoke to the Herald, Baker was hopeful for better surf come Friday (AEST). The US Open of Surfing begins with a men's round of 80, which Wilson will start in, but Baker, Callinan and Cibilic begin in the round of 64. The Challenger Series (CS) began with Newcastle Surfest in June, and had its second stop in South Africa last month. After a round-of-64 exit in Newcastle and only advancing to the round of 32 at the Ballito Pro, Baker is ranked 42nd ahead of the Huntington contest. Callinan is ninth, Cibilic is 24th and Wilson, who missed the South African event, is 71st. Given this week's event is the third of seven CS contests, there remains plenty of time for Baker and his countrymen to improve their rankings as they chase a return to surfing's top tier. Only the top-10 ranked CS surfers qualify for next year's Championship Tour. "It's definitely not the start to the year that I would have wanted," Baker said. "You'd think having your first event in Newy, I would have much rather got a result like Ryan [second]. "But I'm super happy for Ryan, he is in a great position to get back on tour. For me, I just want to join him, so that fuels the fire to get on the horse and start to get some points. "This event hasn't really been the best one for me in years past, but I've been putting in the work. Everything feels good; the boards, my body feels 100 per cent, which it hasn't been before, so I'm definitely happy about that ... the only thing I can control in these small conditions is my head space and take it heat-by-heat. "To make some heats and gain some confidence would be amazing heading into an event that I really love over in Portugal and then into Brazil where I did well last year." Baker fell off the Championship Tour in mid-2023. Callinan dropped out mid-season this year. Cibilic hasn't been in the top tier since 2022, while Wilson is making a professional comeback after retiring in 2021. Jackson Baker's thoughts quickly turned to the people of Hawaii when tsunami warnings were issued after the Russian earthquake, warnings which extended to America's west coast where he is waiting to compete in a professional surfing contest. Baker and fellow Novocastrians Ryan Callinan, Morgan Cibilic and Julian Wilson have spent this week waiting for some suitable surf to develop at Huntington Beach in California. The iconic break is hosting the third event of the Challenger Series, the World Surf League's second-tier series which surfers compete in to try and qualify for the following year's Championship Tour. The contest has had several lay days due to what Baker described as "pretty much dead flat" conditions, but took an interesting turn on Wednesday (AEST) when news of the earthquake prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific. "Day one when I got here, which was a Friday, it was super fun, pretty standard Huntington. Literally since then it's become un-surfable," Baker said, speaking to the Newcastle Herald from America on Thursday (AEST). "I heard the tsunami warning but was never really super worried about it, knowing that Hawaii was in front of us and that was an area they were worried about. "[The earthquake] being in Russia and so far away from where we are ... there wasn't really alarms going off here like there was on the North Shore of Oahu [in Hawaii]. "It was pretty chill. The comp wrote in our group chat about it and kind of warned us, a few protocols, but nothing was ever too serious. "We were down there at 6am looking at the conditions early and everything seemed all good. It was never too much of a worry." At the end of another lay day when he spoke to the Herald, Baker was hopeful for better surf come Friday (AEST). The US Open of Surfing begins with a men's round of 80, which Wilson will start in, but Baker, Callinan and Cibilic begin in the round of 64. The Challenger Series (CS) began with Newcastle Surfest in June, and had its second stop in South Africa last month. After a round-of-64 exit in Newcastle and only advancing to the round of 32 at the Ballito Pro, Baker is ranked 42nd ahead of the Huntington contest. Callinan is ninth, Cibilic is 24th and Wilson, who missed the South African event, is 71st. Given this week's event is the third of seven CS contests, there remains plenty of time for Baker and his countrymen to improve their rankings as they chase a return to surfing's top tier. Only the top-10 ranked CS surfers qualify for next year's Championship Tour. "It's definitely not the start to the year that I would have wanted," Baker said. "You'd think having your first event in Newy, I would have much rather got a result like Ryan [second]. "But I'm super happy for Ryan, he is in a great position to get back on tour. For me, I just want to join him, so that fuels the fire to get on the horse and start to get some points. "This event hasn't really been the best one for me in years past, but I've been putting in the work. Everything feels good; the boards, my body feels 100 per cent, which it hasn't been before, so I'm definitely happy about that ... the only thing I can control in these small conditions is my head space and take it heat-by-heat. "To make some heats and gain some confidence would be amazing heading into an event that I really love over in Portugal and then into Brazil where I did well last year." Baker fell off the Championship Tour in mid-2023. Callinan dropped out mid-season this year. Cibilic hasn't been in the top tier since 2022, while Wilson is making a professional comeback after retiring in 2021. Jackson Baker's thoughts quickly turned to the people of Hawaii when tsunami warnings were issued after the Russian earthquake, warnings which extended to America's west coast where he is waiting to compete in a professional surfing contest. Baker and fellow Novocastrians Ryan Callinan, Morgan Cibilic and Julian Wilson have spent this week waiting for some suitable surf to develop at Huntington Beach in California. The iconic break is hosting the third event of the Challenger Series, the World Surf League's second-tier series which surfers compete in to try and qualify for the following year's Championship Tour. The contest has had several lay days due to what Baker described as "pretty much dead flat" conditions, but took an interesting turn on Wednesday (AEST) when news of the earthquake prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific. "Day one when I got here, which was a Friday, it was super fun, pretty standard Huntington. Literally since then it's become un-surfable," Baker said, speaking to the Newcastle Herald from America on Thursday (AEST). "I heard the tsunami warning but was never really super worried about it, knowing that Hawaii was in front of us and that was an area they were worried about. "[The earthquake] being in Russia and so far away from where we are ... there wasn't really alarms going off here like there was on the North Shore of Oahu [in Hawaii]. "It was pretty chill. The comp wrote in our group chat about it and kind of warned us, a few protocols, but nothing was ever too serious. "We were down there at 6am looking at the conditions early and everything seemed all good. It was never too much of a worry." At the end of another lay day when he spoke to the Herald, Baker was hopeful for better surf come Friday (AEST). The US Open of Surfing begins with a men's round of 80, which Wilson will start in, but Baker, Callinan and Cibilic begin in the round of 64. The Challenger Series (CS) began with Newcastle Surfest in June, and had its second stop in South Africa last month. After a round-of-64 exit in Newcastle and only advancing to the round of 32 at the Ballito Pro, Baker is ranked 42nd ahead of the Huntington contest. Callinan is ninth, Cibilic is 24th and Wilson, who missed the South African event, is 71st. Given this week's event is the third of seven CS contests, there remains plenty of time for Baker and his countrymen to improve their rankings as they chase a return to surfing's top tier. Only the top-10 ranked CS surfers qualify for next year's Championship Tour. "It's definitely not the start to the year that I would have wanted," Baker said. "You'd think having your first event in Newy, I would have much rather got a result like Ryan [second]. "But I'm super happy for Ryan, he is in a great position to get back on tour. For me, I just want to join him, so that fuels the fire to get on the horse and start to get some points. "This event hasn't really been the best one for me in years past, but I've been putting in the work. Everything feels good; the boards, my body feels 100 per cent, which it hasn't been before, so I'm definitely happy about that ... the only thing I can control in these small conditions is my head space and take it heat-by-heat. "To make some heats and gain some confidence would be amazing heading into an event that I really love over in Portugal and then into Brazil where I did well last year." Baker fell off the Championship Tour in mid-2023. Callinan dropped out mid-season this year. Cibilic hasn't been in the top tier since 2022, while Wilson is making a professional comeback after retiring in 2021.
The Advertiser
22-07-2025
- The Advertiser
'It's pretty grim': Port Stephens oyster farm devastated by acid
A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536. A Port Stephens oyster farmer says he has lost close to half a million dollars after historic flooding tanked water quality in the area, devastating his stock. Oyster farmers, he says, are facing increasingly bleak trading circumstances after QX disease wiped out the local industry in 2022, and now the long shadow of severe weather is tearing a new hole in the business. "In the 15 years that I have been here, I have never seen anything this bad," Andrew Phillips, a fifth-generation oyster farmer, told the Newcastle Herald this week. Mr Phillips believes a flush of acid sulphate, stirred up by historic flooding and "bathing" the stretch of water where he farms around the Myall River, is the culprit for his best stock becoming riddled with holes and bleached almost white. He says a closed 'shortcut' near Jimmys beach that once allowed a glut of salt water to flow in and out of the Myall River from the mouth of Port Stephens Bay has meant that what would once have been a naturally correcting issue has stalled his business and destroyed his product. Mr Phillips said he is now facing either sitting out a season as he waits to recover, foregoing a wage, or buying in oysters to try to stay afloat. "It's starting to get pretty grim," he said. "You have to ask yourself at some point, is this viable?" Mr Phillips grew up farming oysters on the Georges River in the Hawkesbury, and said he came to Port Stephens as a "last stand" hoping to carry on the family legacy. But now, he says, he and others are facing a "perfect storm" of poor conditions that is bringing the industry to its knees. "I'm the last of my kind," he said. "It's starting to weigh on me now. I didn't want to let this go, but if the money isn't coming in, what am I doing here?" Acid sulphate contamination tends to occur when dry floodplain soils are washed into estuaries, increasing the acidity of the water and causing oyster shells to disintegrate and the flesh to discolour. "Oysters are meant to be black and vibrant," Mr Phillips said. "These have been just belted." "Most have holes through the back of them, and are completely white." The Environmental Protection Agency said water quality naturally suffered after severe weather events, and the extended severe weather that pummelled the Hunter in recent months had undoubtedly traumatised the systems of estuaries where fishers like Mr Phillips make their living. Mr Phillips' ordeal comes as images surface in local fishing circles of fish with large ulcers across their bodies. The state's Department of Primary Industries urged fishers to report incidents through Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.
The Advertiser
21-06-2025
- The Advertiser
Pristine day heralds winter solstice and longest night of the year
There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day. There were - to use the journalist's favourite literary device - 'sealier' places to be than soaking up the sun just off Newcastle Ocean Baths on a near-perfect winter's day on Friday. It boasted a pristine sky, fair surfing conditions and clean sets off the Cowrie Hole. Awash in a warm and sunny 19 degrees, and just off the back of the Newcastle Ocean Baths, a bulky Australian fur seal luxuriated in the serenity as the surfers gave it a respectful berth. The fur seal - which, along with their long-nose cousins, frequent the Hunter - is a somewhat regular visitor to the ocean baths. Lifeguards on Friday morning, speaking of the big pup like an old friend, said it drops by usually around this time of year to check in. Its whiskers just crested the water line as is bobbed between the swell. Time seemed to slow down as residents and shutterbugs mingled to take it in. "This is a process called thermo-regulating," a spokesperson for Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia told the Newcastle Herald in 2023, when another seal was spotted off the Nobbys breakwall similarly waving a flipper as it floated. "When they get too hot, it helps them cool down." Friday's sunshine was expected to gradually give way to cloudier conditions, with a chance of showers toward the middle of next week. Surf conditions are expected to remain fair through Sunday, with a swell just above two feet, at waist height. Southern swell spots were making the best of the conditions, surf forecasters said, with chest-high waves for the short boards, or the sheltered zones optimal for the longboards on the incoming tide. The southern hemisphere's winter solstice is on Saturday, June 21. It marks Australia's shortest day and longest night of the year based on sunlight hours. But the good news is that from then on Aussies will get an incremental increase in the amount of visible sunlight each day.
