OYSTERS NEED A NAME

A WA aquaculture company is looking for a new name to market a rock oyster that only occurs in WA.

Maxima Oysters project manager Steven Gill said common names for seafood species were covered by legislation.

“Anybody selling those oysters has to give it that name,” he said. “And we’re developing a new species that is unique to the Pilbara region and we’re looking for some help on what would be a great marketing name that affects the Pilbara region.

“I’m looking for something that is uniquely Pilbara or uniquely North-Western Australia. And preferably with some link to traditional owners given that our project is in partnership with the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation.”

Mr Gill said they were conducting promising trials growing the oyster in cages off the coast of Karratha.

It only grows naturally between the Abrolhos Islands and a spot north of Broome.

Mr Gill said last year they started growing the oyster at four Pilbara sites with promising results.