00:00 Pipe Clay Lagoon, south east of Hobart, was once the state's best oyster growing area.
00:08 But in the past three years, millions of oysters have died and no one knows why.
00:13 All we see is gaping oysters, open oysters and it's right across the board from baby
00:20 juveniles right through to matures.
00:24 The state's biggest grower has moved its stock to other farms.
00:28 But for Pipe Clay Lagoon's smaller farmers, that's not an option.
00:32 They're facing increased seagrass growth, dry conditions and less food in the water.
00:38 I suppose at the end of the day I'm at the end of the tether really with it.
00:42 I'll probably have to shut down in the next two or three months.
00:47 Farmers are hoping the mystery illness is temporary.
00:50 But with no cash coming in and state government fees ongoing, the clock is ticking.
00:55 We do have different streams of data that we have circulated around to IMAS and experts
01:02 there but so far nothing stands out as being a real clear cause.
01:07 So we just need to investigate that further.
01:10 The Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome has been ruled out as the cause of the dramatic
01:16 decline in oyster populations here at Pipe Clay Lagoon.
01:20 It has however been discovered in populations on Tasmania's east coast where one farmer
01:26 has reported losses of 25%.
01:29 It indicates that our breeding program has had some successes in achieving a degree of
01:35 POMS resistance in the stock.
01:37 Back at Pipe Clay Lagoon, struggling farmers are pleading for research funding to help
01:43 solve the mystery that's threatening their livelihood.
01:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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