Dr. Greg Forde:

Our view is that these oysters were brought in to become a farmed stock but became feral and are now taking over other sites where normal oysters should be located. There should be a mechanism for ensuring that this species, which has become invasive, is removed. Other witnesses who appeared before the joint committee last week hold a similar view to us on that matter.

It is complicated. Fishermen were collecting them but the oysters that were too large to be marketable were disposed of over the side of the vessel. Instead they should have been incentivised to bring the wrong sized oysters ashore to ensure the wild fish could feed. The food source is wild. They are filter feeders so they have to be able to feed from the water column. It is of no use to feed an invasive species. Let us be honest, the fishermen made significant money from the marketable sized Crassostrea gigas that were harvested at the time.