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Sydney Rock Oyster

Saccostrea glomerata

01

Happy Fish®
Journey & Timeline

Days

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02

Story of the fish

Sydney Rock Oyster Habits

the canaries of the Lake

Sydney Rock Oyster Harvest

three years of care

Sydney Rock Oyster Handling

every oyster tells a story

Sydney Rock Oyster Taste

kissed by the ocean

03

Story of the fisher-farmer

Dom Boyton

We rather work with the flow of the tide and let the oysters and environment tell us how to work within it.

130 years of farming knowledge and farming the same waters for over 40 years, described as the GOAT of Sydney Rock Oyster farming...

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The GOAT of Sydney Rock Oysters
Dom Boyton’s family have been oyster farming Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast NSW for three generations. With over 130 years of farming knowledge in our business and farming the same waters for over 40 years; Dom has been described as the GOAT of Sydney Rock Oyster farming

“we see our farm, our job, as a privilege to work with our environment. We don’t take the usual attitude of trying to tame the natural order of the lake.”

Custodian of Estuaries
For Dom, the role of the oyster farmer is that of custodian of estuaries, which are the front-line indicators of waterway health. He insists conservation must start upstream in creeks, wetlands, saltmarsh and riparian zones. He believes consumers want and deserve provenance, it is not a luxury, it is accountability that lets you know when an oyster was harvested, the waters it filtered and the people who tended it across seasons.

You can hear the years on the water when he talks about oysters the way others talk about people. He describes reading their shells, their weight, the sound of happy bags rolling and the dull thud of stressed shells.

environmental mastery
Dom’s distinctive edge is environmental intuition, a mastery of being able to “read the water” algal feed, colour, flow, the behaviour of seagrass and fish, and translate that into husbandry practices: moving stock to higher-flow or deeper leases in heat, sheltering vulnerable juveniles, and nudging growth without ever feeding.

Dom wants the future of oyster farming to involve training pathways for younger generations in aquaculture and sustainability; combining traditional knowledge with technology and AI to modernise and protect the industry, ensure that small producers’ voices remain heard in the shift toward large corporate aquaculture; and promoting public awareness through storytelling, visibility, and education.

“Connecting consumers back to the people who grow their food.”

This is why Dom pushes for better collaboration across a small, often fragmented industry, and why he invests endless unpaid hours in community and regulatory forums to keep local waterways safe for swimming, fishing, and farming.

04

Story of the country

yuin
merimbula

Merimbula Lake is one of the most beautiful pristine estuaries in the heart of NSW’s Sapphire Coast, famous for its jewel-like ultramarine and turquoise coloured waters.

05

Sustainability assessment criteria

Sydney Rock Oyster
Saccostrea glomerata

Producer: Dom Boyton
Harvest method: Floating bags
Location: Merimbula Lake, NSW

SASAL Farmed Products v2023 Assessment Criteria
The assessed produce has been subject to a rigorous and independent assessment process from which it has been determined that this product meets SASAL Farmed Products Sustainability Criteria 2023

Assessed by the Sustainable Australian Seafood Assessment Limited (SASAL)

criterion 1

Disease and Parasite Risk

criterion 2

Siting and Cumulative Impacts

criterion 3

Wildlife Interactions

criterion 4

Sustainability of Wild-sourced Stock and Food Sources

criterion 1

Disease and Parasite Risk

Aim
Is there a low chance of farmed species spreading diseases or parasites to wild animals?

Risk of spreading disease and parasites to native species
There is no evidence of disease or parasites from this facility impacting native species (although Sydney Rock Oysters can be susceptible to diseases introduced from other estuaries).

Input and use of chemicals
Chemicals are not used to produce Sydney Rock Oysters. No antifouling is used on the infrastructure and chemically treated wood or tar is not used. The longline mesh bags that hold the farmed oysters are manufactured using UV stabilized plastics.

Management effectiveness
The management agency has in place effective biosecurity measures and the producer meets regulations and exhibits effective management of disease and parasites. However, there is a lack of publicly available evidence regarding regulatory compliance from the management agency.

criterion 2

Siting and Cumulative Impacts

Aim
Do fish farms avoid damaging important natural habitats or harming the surrounding environment over time?

Direct impact of infrastructure on habitats
The operation is in a seagrass dominated estuary, however the practice of using floating bags results in minimal effects on the habitats and ecosystems.

Near-field impacts of water and sediment pollution
Chemicals are not used in the processing of oysters. Oysters feed naturally in the environment through filter feeding on particulate matter which cycles nutrients to the seabed and increases water clarity, both of which encourage seagrass growth.

Regional impacts
Floating bag systems have minimal environmental impacts on seagrasses and no demonstrable impacts on sedimentation rates. Since replacing rack and rail infrastructure with floating bags, the impacts of shading on seagrass has been greatly reduced and seagrass coverage has been increasing.

Management Effectiveness
The regional planning, research and monitoring and compliance of the oyster industry is effectively managed by NSW DPI. Merimbula Lake Oyster Growers produced an Environmental Management System in 2011 to help guide environmental best practices. However, the EMS should be updated every 3-4 years.

criterion 3

Wildlife Interactions

Aim
Is there a low chance of farmed species causing problems for wild animals or the environment if they escape or interact with the outside world?

Insignificant risk of wildlife interaction
There is no evidence to suggest, and it is unlikely, there is insignificant risk of wildlife interaction

Behavioural effects
Both fish and birds interact with oyster leases for feeding and refuge opportunities but this does not result in significant negative impacts to these species.

Entanglements and incidental mortality
There has been no reported entanglements of wildlife in the longlines that suspend the floating bags. Hollow large-diameter poles that could trap birds if they use to perch and fall inside, are not permitted.

Escapes, translocations and genetic impacts
As Sydney Rock Oysters are a native species in this estuary there are no issues regarding escapement. Broadcast spawning of farmed oysters is regarded as beneficial to the wild populations. Although a small proportion of selectively bred disease resistant spat are introduced to the estuary, there is no evidence of any genetic impacts on the wild populations.

Management effectiveness
As there does not appear to be any significant wildlife interactions, there are also limited management regulations by the management agency and no publicly-available evidence regarding compliance.

criterion 4

Sustainability of Wild-sourced Stock and Food Sources

Aim
Are the wild fish used to breed or feed farmed species not being overfished or put under too much pressure?

Ongoing reliance on wild stocks for broodstock, juveniles or feed
There is ongoing reliance on wild populations for juveniles

Wild stocks are sustainable
The majority of the source stock are collected from the wild, primarily in the neighbouring estuary, Pambula Lake. It is unlikely that the intensity of spat collection from Pambula Lake results in the depletion of wild stock.

Food is from sustainable sources
Supplemental feed is not used

Fin

Sydney Rock Oyster Habits

The indigenous Sydney Rock Oyster (SRO) has thrived in NSW for thousands of years and probably appeared in the evolutionary tree around 70 million years ago. One midden carbon dating analysis dated the shells at 6000 years old, showing that the traditional custodians of the Sydney area have been consuming this species for at least 8000 years. It is now valued as one of the great eating oysters of the world.

SROs live in sheltered estuaries, inlets and marine bays. They feed from straining planktonic algae from the water and require pristine waters to thrive and bestow the best flavour profile.
Oyster farmer Dom Boyton describes growing them as “a risky business and a labour of love, they are the canaries of the Lake”. You can’t pretend with SROs, if the water quality is less than wonderful, if the environment is suffering, so too will the oyster

Viable SRO growing regions are in decline, which means increased scarcity and valuing of this unique oyster. Poor water quality created via land run off, fire pollution, floods etc has ravaged SRO growing regions. Dom Boyton does weekly water quality testing is part of the meticulous care required to look after the sensitive SROs. Many SRO farms have closed down or changed to easier faster growing non-native species.

Many SROs start life as male and change sex to female at about 2 years old. They grow faster when they are male and slow down if they become female. Dom says:“This has allowed the species to evolve and grow into a robust animal that is so amazing for an animal that lives in water can be removed from its natural world live out of water for weeks be returned and continue as if nothing happened (hold your breath for two weeks see how long you last!”

Sydney Rock Oyster Harvest

Oyster farmer Dom Boyton on some of their meticulous husbandry processes:

“We rather work with the flow of the tide and let the oysters and environment tell us how to work within it …Our farming methods are about keeping our oysters happy and healthy. A happy oyster is a good tasting oyster!”

By having a good amount of water and leases available we are able to leave areas fallow, thus ensuring our impact is minimal using farming practices and methods that are unique to our farm. The health of our water has only improved, seagrasses have recovered in areas that were previously shaded by old farming practices, fish and general health of the lake has only improved over time

When harvesting for sale the oysters are selected from our range of leases for the best of the day this can vary a lot during the year with the range of options we have available we harvest all year round we are dependent on tide to get into some of our leases so normally harvest at high tide the stock is brought back to our land base washed with salt water graded, packed and stored in a coolroom to bring temp down to 13 degrees shipped out either the day of harvest or the next depending on transport.

Extensive lease area allows each bag to be lightly stocked so oysters have plenty of room to grow without getting stressed. Large mesh bags are used to allow sunlight through as well as bigger gaps between bags and lines to prevent shading. All oysters are grown in floating cultivation to minimise the impact on the lakebed and extensive seagrasses in Merimbula lake. Harvesting methods are tailored to minimise bycatch. Each bag is turned upside down, submerged and shaken under water to remove crabs, fish and thereby minimising bycatch

Sydney Rock Oyster Handling

Every oyster tells a story… when they’re not happy, you can see it, you can feel it, even hear it.

Oyster farmer Dom Boyton describes how their oyster handling directly impacts their oyster quality:

Oysters are grown throughout the lake from mangrove lined creeks, open seagrass meadows, gravel beds, sandy bottoms. Each area has a unique diversity that adds different characteristics to the oysters shell and meat as we move our stock around the lake to add shell growth meat flavor and good condition each move builds the end flavor and robust shells.

The oysters are brought back to our land base washed with salt water and stored in a coolroom to bring temp down to 13 degrees and shipped out within 6 to 24 hours. Because of the way we farm and handle our oysters we expect a shelf life of 7-10 days stored correctly 13-15 degrees

They should never be touched by fresh water to keep quality and taste.

Sydney Rock Oyster Taste

“Merimbula lake is a marine embayment this means high salinity resulting in a clean flavour like being kissed by the ocean. The balance of salty to creamy makes Merimbula the perfect oyster…” Dom Boyton

The flavour of these Sydney Rock Oysters reflects the pristine high-salinity marine waters of Merimbula Lakes: a clean, crisp taste with a balance of salinity and creaminess, free from muddy aftertaste common to other estuaries

Dom Boyton explains their unique husbandry practices contributing to their oysters’ healthy flavour:

“Our leases are throughout the lake from mangrove lined creeks, open seagrass meadows, gravel beds, sandy bottoms each lease has a unique diversity that adds different characteristics to the oysters shell and meat. We move our stock around the lake to add shell growth, meat flavor and good condition. Each move builds the end flavor and robust shells”

The result is a native oyster shaped by pristine waters and careful time. A farmer who works with nature, not against it. Together, they produce an oyster that reflects place, patience, and respect for the environment.