Stolen 'super oysters' are dangerous to eat

IF VALUABLE research oysters stolen from the Richmond River at Ballina yesterday are returned, then no questions will be asked.

SURVIVORS: About one-third of the oysters selectively bred by the DPI to resist QX disease have survived some the worst that the Richmond River can throw at them in this test project. Growth rate is no problem; these have almost doubled in size since September. Picture: Contributed

A WARNING has been issued regarding the theft of disease-resistant 'super oysters' from the Richmond River on Monday.

A post on the Ballina Lennox Fishing Facebook page warned people from consuming any Department of Primary Industries Research Oysters stolen from the Burns Point Oyster line.

Ozfish Unlimited's Richmond River chapter chairman John Larsson said eating these oysters - which are of a selective breed and not suitable for eating - could cause serious illness.

He said the missing 10 dozen oysters were in a basket bearing a DPI orange identification tag.

"These are very valuable research stock and if they are retuned, no questions will be asked,” he said.

"Research oysters are not recommended for human consumption, they can make you very, very sick.”

Mr Larsson said the theft has been reported to the local fisheries for compliance but not yet to police.

He said researchers are dismayed by the theft as the oysters were about to lifted and taken to the laboratory for rigorous assessment to help improve future aquatic farming.

"This theft has come at a critical stage as they ware at maturity and to be taken to the lab to be used as future broodstock,” he said.

"These oysters were to be used to create better selectively-bred lines to tolerate poor quality water in coastal estuaries.”

Mr Larsson said the oyster baskets were in the Richmond River at West Ballina in full view of some residences and he hopes someone may have seen something.

Rous County Council chair and Ballina Shire councillor Keith Williams said the theft was appalling.

"These are the only oysters left over from a mass die-off three years ago,” he said.

"It's terrible because we have been working with DPI research for two years and this is the first theft we have had of research oysters.”

Mr Williams said the DPI chose to trial the oysters on the Richmond River at Ballina - because if they can live there, they can survive anywhere.

"Theft is rife to local oyster growers and it's a blight to the community,” he said.

"If anyone spots these oysters we urge them to call police.”