Should foraging for succulent oysters come with a health warning?
New research has shown that wild oysters in one region of NSW contain 21 different pesticides.
Oysters pump water through their bodies and eat the bacteria, plankton and other particles they filter out. A single oyster can filter up to five litres of water an hour.
But that means they soak up pesticide residue.
The research analysed wild oysters growing naturally in the Richmond River estuary in NSW and detected 21 different pesticides, with each oyster having, on average, detectable amounts of nine different pesticides.
Five of the pesticides – pebulate, vernolate, fosetyl Al, benomyl and prothiofos – are serious red flags. There must be no trace of them in meat.
Commercially farmed oysters are regulated by Australia’s shellfish quality assurance program and can only be harvested when water quality is good.
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