A Hastings River sewage spill has forced Port Macquarie oyster farmers to halt their operations prior to Easter.
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However, the river opened on Thursday morning, April 6, with farmers able to harvest right before the Easter rush.
Other Mid North Coast oyster farmers closed production due to sewage spills and rainfall.
The Port News is aware of one farmer in the Camden Haven who will be able to sell oysters to people over Easter.
A sewage spill impacted the Hastings River in mid March.
Oyster farms are required to close for a minimum 21 days from the start of a sewage spill.
The Port News contacted two oyster farmers from Port Macquarie in relation to the issue. One did not respond and the other didn't wish to make a comment.
Meanwhile Armstrong Oysters is located in the Camden Haven and coowner Brandon Armstrong said the team is able to deliver Easter oysters for the first time in years.
The operation of their oyster farm was forced to close on Monday, April 3 due to the amount of rainfall which impacted the Camden Haven River.
However, Mr Armstrong said oysters were harvested prior to the closure, just in time for the Easter rush.
It's the first time in four years Armstrong Oysters has been able to provide oysters for its Easter customers.
In 2020 the river was closed due to a sewerage issues, 2021 brought a massive flooding event to the region and in 2022 the river was also impacted by heavy rainfall.
Holding tanks allow Armstrong Oysters to harvest oysters in advance and store them for a couple of weeks to ensure they are still fresh when people buy them.
Macleay River oyster coordinator Kurt Winkler said the river was still open on Wednesday, April 5 but he was anticipating it would close due to the amount of rainfall.
Mr Winkler said oyster lovers will have a hard time tracking down oysters, given Port Macquarie and Nambucca farms have been closed due to sewerage issues.
Macleay River oysters are still able to be harvested with the use of a purification plant.
However, Mr Winkler said he sold off all of his mature oysters in the summer months.
"We tried to sell them by Christmas to be honest," he said.
Due to the wet weather, Mr Winkler said March and April traditionally aren't favourable times to harvest oysters.
Majority of Mr Winkler's oyster are too young or too small to be harvested.
He will wait until October for them to mature to a level where they can be harvested.
"They grow like mad over winter," he said.
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