Known locally for his eccentric shirt choices, Jim Wild started his oyster business on the NSW Shoalhaven more than 40 years ago.
"I love my oysters, I would eat probably a dozen oysters every day," Mr Wild told The Feed.
In 1984, he became the fastest oyster opener in the world, opening 30 oysters in two minutes and 31 seconds. It's a record he held for 10 years.
"I got a free trip to Galway Bay in Ireland to represent Australia. I just thought to myself, little old kid from Taren Point, going overseas, travelling the world. And I couldn't believe it."
Jim Wild eating oysters. Source: The Feed
Growing oysters in Australia is a three-year process and involves hard labour moving trays, nets and tumblers daily.
Jim has experienced his share of hardships throughout his time as an oyster farmer but he's never seen devastation in such high-succession as he has this year.
"A lot of people have gone broke. I really feel for these people that have put all of their heart and soul into their industry, all their money that they've spent being in business and they've lost it all."
Oyster farmers on the NSW south and north coasts were impacted by bushfires over the Christmas period, either directly or through a loss of tourism to regional areas.
In February, record-breaking rainfall caused estuaries to swell, resulting in oyster stock losses due to broken infrastructure and water contamination.
Then, in March, COVID-19 prompted worldwide lockdowns.
With no restaurants open to sell their product, oyster farm revenues have all but dried up.
Batemans Bay oyster farmer Rick Christensen supplies oysters to seven restaurants.
He told The Feed his sales are down 80 per cent.
"I think a lot of other fellas might be even further and your bank balance goes down quick," Mr Christensen said.
"I cut a bit of firewood just to keep things ticking over."
Rick Christensen tending to his oysters. Source: The Feed
NSW Farmers are calling for the state government to waive oyster farming fees to help growers, some haven't received a proper income since November 2019.
"They haven't got the cash flow to pay some of their commitments, and that's why the NSW Farmers have been asking the government to waive the fees, like the DPI fees and the food authority fees," NSW Farmers Oyster Committee Chair Caroline Henry told The Feed.
"South Australia and Tasmania did that very early on in the piece, and we're just saying, 'NSW - why has it taken so long?'."
Jim Wild says any financial support from the government would be a welcome relief.
"Anything the government can do to waive fees and different things for the next 12 months to two years would be a positive for the oyster farming industry," Mr Wild said.
Shoalhaven NSW. Source: The Feed
Rick Christensen agrees, but is skeptical of the likelihood it will occur.
"That would help a great deal, but sort of, I don't think they're going to do that," Mr Christensen said.
"This is bad, but we know it's going to get better, and the oysters, they're not dead, they're still growing...there's other people worse off."
In a statement, a spokesperson from the NSW Department of Primary Industries said, "The NSW Government is working directly with the industry to assess the full impacts of bushfire and COVID-19 to develop any additional support measures required, including fee waivers."
The statement also outlined other financial support available to oyster farmers including Natural Disaster Recovery Grants for those in bushfire affected areas and the Bushfire Industry Recovery Package.
Oysters being prepared. Source: The Feed
There are around 280 oyster farming businesses in NSW, spread across 32 coastal estuaries.
In the last financial year, the NSW oyster industry produced more than 75 million oysters worth $59 million.
Jim Wild is confident the NSW oyster industry will find a way through this latest crisis and come out stronger in the long run.
"Our oyster family, which are all up and down the coast, we're all struggling, we're all doing it hard, but the thing is we'll fight back and we'll kick back and we'll win in the end."
