Oyster growers in northern New South Wales fear they will not be able to meet the high demand for their product this Christmas and New Year's period, as rain smashes estuaries across the coast.
From Port Stephens to the Queensland border, the majority of estuaries have been closed by authorities for more than a week already.
The closures are due to consistent rainfall affecting salinity levels in rivers and lakes, and they will not be re-opened until enough saltwater returns to the waterways.
Richard Ellery, an oyster grower at Wallis Lake in Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast, said the wet weather had come at the worst possible time.
"Coming into Christmas and the holiday period after is the biggest time of the year for us by far," he said.
"It's a time when many farmers make almost all of their income for the coming year.
The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a wetter than average summer season due to La Niña, and the rain is not expected to ease until late February next year.
Mr Ellery said he was worried the prolonged rainfall would worsen a supply shortage from farmers in the north.
"There's been a bit of a shortage in the market for the last few months due to floods and bushfires a few years ago, which impacted farmers' stocks for the coming years," he said.
Oyster demand 'through the roof'
NSW Farmers Oyster Committee Chair Todd Graham said the demand for oysters was higher than ever.
"With Sydney and other cities opening up you have all these people wanting to eat out and go to Christmas parties," he said
Mr Ellery said he was hoping to get a few breaks from the weather in the lead up to Christmas, to at least harvest enough product to cover the local market.
"We should be able to keep the locals happy, but [the wholesale market] is what's getting impacted," he said.
Mr Graham said that would be the case for most farmers up north.
"If the rivers open up again, most farmers should well and truly be able to keep up with local demand," he said.
Southern growers hope for Christmas boom as tourists return
Owner of Broadwater Oysters at Pambula, Sue McIntyre, harvests oysters all year round but said summer was a key market for growers.
"We're hoping it's going to be an absolute bumper season for oysters on the south coast," she said.
While the south coast has not seen repeated flooding like those in northern estuaries, persistent rain has made it hard for growers.
"We've actually had a rolling situation of periods of estuary closures and small windows for harvest, at one point we had six hours to harvest oysters before another closure."
Sam Gordon, executive director with seafood sales and marketing firm, Blue Harvest, said it was too early to predict whether southern growers will have enough stock to cover Christmas demand.
"It depends on what happens with rain between now and Christmas," he said.
"Wonboyn, Pambula, Wapengo, Shoalhaven estuaries are all open, and the Clyde is set to open later this week, weather depending. So, it's looking positive."
Over the past few years, oyster prices have remained steady, and despite the current pressures on supply, it is not expected that prices will rise for consumers.
"Oyster prices have less price volatility in the marketplace these days. You don't have the big peaks and troughs," he said.
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