queensland Southern Qld Oyster Industry History

[rayke1938]

From Wynnum Manly historical society. Cheers Ray

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  Southern Queensland Oyster Industry

  Summary of Paper presented by Glen S Smith at RHSQ meeng 22 October 1981.

   

  The oyster industry ourished from the 1870’s to around 1920, peaking at the turn of the centaury and declining

  from 1910. The edible Sydney Rock oyster (Saccostrea commercialis) was found on the wide inter-dal ats in

  southern Qld. At that me oyster shing was the most organized of the shing industries. In 1891 21,000 sacks of

  oysters worth £29,100 were exported from southern Queensland to Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

  1824 – 1863 (Oyster Act)

  From rst European selement in 1824 the oyster beds were over-exploited and decimated. There was no licens-

  ing, regulaon or control. Everyone helped themselves. Most exploitaon was not for food but for the producon

  of lime to make mortar to construct the houses and buildings of early Brisbane

  1863

  Aenon was drawn to the wasteful pracce of lime burning and on 22 September 1863 a Bill was introduced to

  the Legislave Assembly for the protecon of oysters. Penales for burning live oysters were either a ne of up to

  £10, or imprisonment for up to 3 months. Oyster gatherers had a fee of £5 to lay down oysters on dened oyster

  beds.

  Dredge oysters were found in the mid 1860’s below low de and collected by means of a dredging basket aached

  to a boat. The oysters were larger, tasted beer and brought top prices.

  1870

  There was a realisaon that the 1863 Act did not give enough protecon.. Very large quanes of oysters were

  being exported to southern markets and the dredge beds were being dredged out. A closed season was suggested.

  1874

  A more comprehensive Act was introduced concerning the leasing of the oyster beds. In 1874 the rst aucon of

  dredge secons was held in Brisbane providing revenue to the Government. By 1884 Moreton Bay was divided into

  39 secons, extending to 2’below low water mark. The leases ran for a 7-year term with an annual fee of ve

  pounds.

  Moreton Bay Oyster Company was founded on 11 August 1876 and was the largest company in the Queensland

  oyster industry unl the 1920’s. Premiers Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer and Sir Thomas McIlwraith were shareholders.

  However the 1874 Bill was inadequate. Lease me of 7 years was too short. . In 1882 Captain C S Fison dues in-

  cluded being Inspector of Oyster Fisheries. But he spent considerable me administering the expanding oyster in-

  dustry, from the NSW border to Noosa. He presented the rst oyster report in 1884. His reports were used for the

  framework for the 1886 Oyster Act.

  By 1886 there were 178 oyster banks covering 5000 acres with as average of 70 acres per lease. It was felt that the

  1874 Act needed updang to remedy the praccal administraon defects of the old Act. The Act of 1886 saw 14-

   

  Cont. on next page
• Issue 124 ABN 49 071 835 845 I ISSN 1835-8500 (Print) ISSN 2652-1083 (Digital)

  August 2020 9

  Cont. from previous page

  year dredge leases. There was a reward for persons discovering new dredge oyster beds. Oysters had to measure

  5cm to prevent banks being stripped of the small oysters. NSW did not put any restricons of the collecon of oys-

  ters unl 1868, ve years aer Queensland, so their beds were in poor shape.

  Moreton Bay was used for maturing and faening the young oysters from the northern spat catching beds of the

  great Sandy Strait region. Here in Moreton Bay the oysters grew more rapidly and developed a beer shape than if

  allowed to remain in the northern beds. In 1905 the coastal steamer “Lady Lamington” carted14,000 sacks of cul-

  ture down to Moreton Bay for re-laying where 12-18 months’ growth produced oysters in prime condion.

  On 13 April 1889, to encourage the blossoming industry, 26 reserves for oystermen were gazeed around Moreton

  Bay, ranging from 5 acres to 40 acres. Oystermen were allowed to camp, build houses and fence-in small allot-

  ments, so long as they paid their annual licence. Prior to this many unocial camp sites had existed. A small school

  was established in 1890 at Currigee on Stradbroke Island and some me later a second school at Coombabah, 11

  kilometers north of Southport.. These were the two largest camps and were composed mainly of Aborigines and

  coloured employees of the Moreton Bay Oyster Company.

  Disease brings disaster

  Mud worm disease rst appeared about 1880 in oysters in the Hunter River of NSW. If the Sydney markets were

  glued, NZ oysters were stored in the Hunter River to keep them fresh, unl prices rose again. This storage was

  thought to be the source of the disease.

  The disease was rst noced in southern Queensland in 1895 on the banks at the mouth of the Coomera River in

  the lower inter dal and dredge secons. The disease, caused by a small red worm, is harmless to man but made

  aected oysters unacceptable. The disease spread rapidly through southern Moreton Bay and by 1899 the number

  of secons had dropped from 36 to 18 and the number of banks from 421 to 292. Over one hundred banks were

  closed temporarily. Many men were thrown out of work

  By 1903 the industry was relavely sound again and by 1905 the southern part of Moreton, in the Broadwater, was

  almost free of the disease and relaying of oysters into the secons was resumed. Pumicestone passage at this me

  was suering badly from the eects of the disease, which was not dispersed unl 1925. The disease never went

  further north that the Maroochy River. Oyster men became very cauous in their operaons and largely aban-

  doned the dredge secons which were more suscepble to worm infestaon.

  Mud worms were not the only detriment to the oyster industry. Various oods such as that in 1893, destroyed

  whole oyster beds, as de levels and currents were altered. Similarly the breakthrough at Jumpinpin on Stradbroke

  Island in May 1898 disrupted the industry.

  During the decade from 1901 – 1910 the industry reached its peak for the number of men employed banks leased

  and boats licensed. The greatest part of producon came from the banks. Dredge oysters comprised only 20%.

  The value of the shery was around £12,000 per annum excluding local consumpon and about £2,000 was collect-

  ed in Government licenses and rental fees.

  From 1910 there was a gradual decline. No single cause could be idened. In 1913 a ve-man Treasury Depart-

  ment commiee was set up to report on the industry and to redra legislaon.. But measures introduced were too

  late to help the ailing industry.

  Mud worm disease had de-stabilised the industry. Pests, disease, predators, compeon form NZ markets and

  man’s mistakes all contributed. Oyster thes were a major problem in some areas. Oystermen thieved from each

  other’s beds. The public helped themselves!. There were few inspectors. Occasional nes had lile eect. Oyster

  men were recent to expend money on oyster banks over which they could not keep a watch. Large companies

  aempted to monopolise the industry to force out the smaller growers.

  By 1936 Qld was imporng NSW oysters, this being a major contributor to the decline of the Qld industry.

  Today Qld oyster producon is only 1/10 of that produced in the peak years. The majority of oyster bank licenses

  are now employed on a part me basis. Oyster operaons are restricted in Tourist areas and near sewage oualls.

  Apart from the occasional place named aer an oysterman, the remnants of some oyster camps and a few old

  men’s memories lile remains of the once thriving industry.

[Old Scaley]

Thanks Ray, that was very interesting. I didn’t know that the breakthrough at Jumpinpin was so recent (1898).

@DropBear will be interested in this.

[ellicat]

...and @kmcrosby78

[kmcrosby78]

Very, very interesting Ray, thanks for posting.

[kmcrosby78]

13 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

I didn’t know that the breakthrough at Jumpinpin was so recent (1898).

You would have been quite young then Steve so we understand you forgetting ...... 

[AUS-BNE-FISHO]

Hey rayke1938

That was pretty cool, thanks for telling/showing us about it by that VERY long post  

Cheers Hamish

[Drop Bear]

Oyster history in Moreton Bay is so interesting. 

Dr Ben Diggles refutes the mud worm coming from NZ paper. I wouldn't know. 

I do know that oysters sitting on the muddy bottom tend to die while ones up off the bottom do well. 

I hope that our reef modules will get the shells off the bottom enough to let them survive and multiply. 

[Drop Bear]

Exciting news, We got the final drawings for the shell washing machine. Hopefully we will get it delivered in a few weeks.

I also picked up 200 ROB baskets ready to be filled. 

This is a huge step in the process to restore Moreton Bays lost shellfish reefs. 

If you would like to know more or be part of the project please visit

https://ozfish.org.au/moreton-bay-shellfish-reef-project/

and join OzFish. it is a great movement restoring fish habitat around the country and just by joining you are making a huge difference, but if you want to come out and help restore our beautiful Moreton Bay you can deploy reefs and help build the bays sparkling future.  

 

 

[Drop Bear]

[kmcrosby78]

The design looks great Robbie - can't wait to see it in the flesh!! 

[Drop Bear]

On 12/08/2020 at 9:49 PM, kmcrosby78 said:

The design looks great Robbie - can't wait to see it in the flesh!! 

Not sure when we will get it, hopefully in a few weeks.