The rise affects both Pacific oysters and Australia's native Sydney rock variety. A major reason for the increase is the limited supply of Pacific oysters after Pacific oyster mortality syndrome was found in Tasmania in January 2016.

The virus caused millions of dollars damage to the Tasmanian oyster industry. It is harmless to humans but able to kill Pacific oysters in days. A resulting embargo on Tasmanian spats (baby oysters) is affecting oyster supply in NSW and South Australia.

“Ninety per cent of Pacific oyster farmers draw their stocks from Tasmanian hatcheries,” says Ben Ralston, who grows Pacific and Sydney rock oysters at Batemans Bay. “We haven't been able to restock our leases with Pacific oysters since late 2015 That's why we're starting to see pressure build now: everybody is getting towards the end of their stock.”

A Pacific oyster takes 12 to 18 months to grow from juvenile to harvest-size. The same growth for a Sydney rock oyster takes three years. “Juvenile Pacific oyster stock is going into South Australian farms at the moment, so hopefully those guys will be all back in business by next Christmas,” says Mr Ralston. “But for the next 12 months, Sydney rocks will be the dominant oyster and put a lot of pressure on those growers.”  

Mr Susman says there has been about a 20 per cent increase in the farm-gate price of Sydney rock oysters and Pacific oysters over the past two to three months. His rough estimate is that consumers may pay prices in the high-twenties for a dozen oysters this Christmas.

“Yes, consumers can expect to pay more for oysters this year, but with that, they should also be expecting higher quality,” he says. “We've had the luxury of cheap oysters for quite a long time, certainly by comparison to international standards. The increase in price will demand that growers consider the quality of the product they put to market much more than they have before. This is a good thing. It drives excellence.”