00:00For many, the holiday season is a time to relax, but for New South Wales South Coast
00:07oyster farmers Jade and Greg Norris, it's the busiest time of the year.
00:11We're very hands-on, so we open a lot of oysters, we try and be everywhere at once.
00:18And while the days are long for the Batemans Bay locals, their spirits are high.
00:22The 2025 season is the second year in a row they've seen favourable growing conditions
00:28in the Clyde River.
00:29This year is looking pretty good actually, so I think the river's improved over the last,
00:36probably this last couple of years.
00:38Almost two hours north, Illawarra farmer Sally McLean is also grateful for a good lead up
00:43to Christmas.
00:45Last year a toxic algal outbreak in the Crookhaven and Shoalhaven river estuaries affected sales.
00:51There's always been a challenge, it's just part and parcel of farming, but we're resilient
00:56and we do adapt and hopefully this Christmas will be our best season yet.
01:00For some on the North Coast, this year's story is very different. After back-to-back floods in 2021 and 2022,
01:08Manning River grower Matthew Carroll had planned to go to market this Christmas.
01:132023 was our real breakthrough to get a crop through, which would have been destined for market this year.
01:20But flooding in May wiped out 60% of that crop. He's staying positive though with a plan to sell his surviving 2023 catch at Easter.
01:30There's nothing at Christmas, but definitely we'll have a target at Easter time.
01:34In November, the state government allocated $20 million to a grant program aimed at helping aquaculture farmers
01:40boost production and increase sustainability.
01:43We need to sustain our industry, we need to move forward, we need investment into it.
01:48Investment needed to ensure oysters can be enjoyed into the future.
01:52ение следует...
01:59pf
02:05200
02:06can be needed
02:122
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