Marine scientists are working overtime to identify a mystery illness that has decimated Port Stephens Pacific oyster crops.
Millions of Pacific oysters have died suddenly over the past two months. Almost all of a batch of a million juvenile Pacific oysters imported from Tasmania by fourth generation grower Geoff Diemar died recently.
"It doesn't seem to matter if they are imported from interstate, produced at a local hatchery or are wild catch," he said. "The ones that seem to be surviving best are the wild catch but it depends on where they are in the port."
