A world of oysters: protecting their future
Do you like Oysters? Do you know why are they important? Oysters are part of our heritage and have been an important natural resource for Australia鈥檚 First Nations for tens of thousands of years. However, most natural oyster reefs around Australia have disappeared, which is important as they provide structure and habitat for marine biodiversity. Oysters remain an important part of Australian culture and cuisine, with oyster farming occurring in most of NSW estuaries, supporting coastal economies.
Join the聽Marine Studies Institute聽for their first multidisciplinary event, partnered with the聽Sydney Environment Institute听补苍诲听聽to learn about these fascinating creatures where you are invited to listen to different perspectives on oysters from researchers, farmers, chefs and Australia鈥檚 First Nations. The event will include an afternoon of discussions followed by an online BYO oyster tasting. Details will be provided once you are聽registered.
This event was presented online on Wednesday 20 October 2021.
Speakers
Mitchell Gibbs, a Dunghutti man through Kinship from Kempsey near Port Macquarie, NSW, has recently completed his PhD at the 爆料王 School of Life and Environment Science on the transgenerational effect of climate change on oyster larvae. His research focuses on oysters 鈥� especially oyster and oyster habitats on the Mid-North Coast of New South Wales. Mitchell has a particular interest in traditional Aboriginal oyster farming practices 鈥� practices that protected and enhanced oyster habitats and promoted sustainable harvesting.
Ana Bugnot聽is a Senior Research Associate at the 爆料王 and Project Manager for the Sydney Harbour Research Program at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science. In collaboration with industry and environmental managers, she is investigating the use of oysters in developing nature-based solutions to remediate excess nutrients.
聽is a Spanish chef living in Orange NSW. He is a founder of Eat Spanish, the first Spanish non-profit gastronomic association in Australia. He owns the catering business A Table of 10. He is passionate about using local products and regional influences in his cooking and shining a light on Spanish culture and cuisine.
聽is a marine scientist, and oyster farm industry trailblazer. He is a Nuffield Farming Scholar (2012) and a NSW farmer of the year finalist (2018). Ewan is the founder of Signature Oysters (2015) and SmartOysters (2018), and OysterLife Share Farm (2019). Over the past 16 years Ewan has expanded his family farm to include a nationally recognised marketing brand and a global software company.
Ana Vila Concejo聽(Chair) is an Associate Professor in the School of Geosciences at the 爆料王. Ana is co-leads the聽聽the Deputy Director of聽聽and Co-Director of the聽Marine Studies Institute. Ana鈥檚 research is on the geomorphology of coasts in temperate and tropical environments including beaches, specially those in estuaries and bays, and coral reefs and how they are affected by climate change. She has had two ARC fellowships, including a Future Fellowship, and is part of an ARC-Linkage project studying oyster reefs. Ana is a founding member of the聽, she also co-founded and co-chairs聽. She co-hosts the science podcast聽.
Header image:聽Ana Rubio