Oyster farmer at Narooma are pleased the results of the latest round of water testing has shown levels of potentially toxic algae appears to be declining.
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The NSW Food Authority closed the estuary for commercial and recreational harvesting earlier this month after due to an algal bloom.
High concentrations of the naturally occurring Pseudo-nitzschia species were detected in the waters of the inlet last week, which can lead to amnesic shellfish toxins.
Previous story: Narooma oyster farmers hoping closure ends soon
Narooma oyster farmer David Maidment said the test results received on Friday were looking a lot better, with the algal count declining.
“It’s heading in the right direction, which certainly is positive,” he said.
This type of algae is thought to prosper after an inflow of nutrients that follows heavy rainfall that follows a dry spell.
“The algal bloom grows very quickly, uses up all the available nutrients and then crashes,” he said.
Regarding the upcoming Narooma Oyster Festival on May 6, Mr Maidment said he was hopeful the estuary would be open for harvest by then, but even if not then sufficient supplies of oysters could be sourced from other unaffected South Coast waterways.
Similarly, seafood shops in Narooma continue to sell oysters from other estuaries such as Tuross Head and Merimbula.