Tasmania’s oyster disease crisis takes human toll as jobs lost

JON Poke represents the human face of the killer oyster disease crisis sweeping through Tasmanian waters.

Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome virus. oyster grower Jon Poke of Smithton who runs Estuarine Oyster Company. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

JON Poke represents the human face of the killer oyster disease crisis sweeping through Tasmanian waters, which has been estimated to eventually cost the industry almost $6 million in stock losses.

As veteran of nearly 40 years’ standing, the proprietor of Smithton’s Bolduans Bay Oysters has seen plenty. But having to retrench half a dozen loyal employees because of the Pacific oyster Mortality Syndrome virus was the most “gut-wrenching” experience of his career.

Mr Poke, who also has an interest in an oyster company based at Pitt Water outside Hobart, said he was looking at an 80 per cent loss of remaining stock.

But it was the knock-on effect on staff that was causing him the most grief, with Mr Poke delivering bad news to some of his southern staff members.

“Unfortunately we had to retrench six staff yesterday which is very hard to do as an employer,” Mr Poke said.

“But I’ve also got the farm in Smithton, which is unaffected at this stage, where I’ve got another 25 employees.

“When you look at what may happen as an impact of this disease, the way it spread through France and New Zealand, I can see that every area of the state has the potential to be impacted over the next two years.”

As Oysters Tasmania chief executive Neil Stump confirmed a lease on Bruny Island had joined the growing lists of growing areas with a confirmed reading for POMS, Minister for Primary Industries Jeremy Rockliff described the escalating situation as devastating.

Mr Rockliff said he met Oysters Tasmania boss Neil Stump and other oyster growers, and confirmed the Government stood ready to assist the industry once a formal submission had been received.

“This is also a very emotional time for businesses as well, not only do they see their own financial lifeblood ... dissipating before their very eyes, but no one likes to lay off staff and affect other families,” Mr Rockliff said.

“This is an extremely devastating time for the industry but it will recover and the Government will stand side by side with the industry to ensure it will recover.

“It’s a two-year crop effectively, so in many respects we will look at the loss of the crop now and the spat [larvae] ... almost two years of returns that have been affected here so there will be job losses and no doubt some rationalisation.”

Mr Stump said a conservative estimate of the stock losses was $5.6 million.