Rai couple unveil oyster farming proposal

A Rai Valley couple are hoping to sell Pacific oysters to the Marlborough public if plans for their oyster processing plant go ahead.

John and Faye Fosbender have applied for resource consent to the Marlborough District Council to run a small scale seafood processing plant on their Hills Rd property, in Rai Valley.

They plan to grow and harvest their own oysters from a marine farm in Croixelles Harbour, just north of Okiwi Bay in the outer Marlborough Sounds.

They would bring the harvested oysters to land at nearby Wairangi Bay or Okiwi Bay and transfer them by four-wheel-drive vehicle 45km to their property.

They hope to have the plant up and running before Christmas and aim to process at least 300 dozen oysters a week. While Marlborough was known for its mussels, oysters were a relatively unknown market, Mr Fosbender said.

Lots were grown, but not many were sold, he said.

"It's an opportunity to see more oysters in Marlborough – you just don't see them in very many places."

The couple run Deep Water Contracting, a marine farming contracting business in the Marlborough Sounds based mainly around mussels. "We are trying to branch out, and do something different."

The business will be small scale, and might only need two more employees," Mr Fosbender said.

He was "pretty confident" the council would approve the consent and was hoping to get the processing plant up and running in about a month.

During the first year trips are expected to be made weekly, with about 300 dozen oysters a week.

The oysters will be chilled, shucked and packaged and transported to Nelson and Marlborough retailers, and they already have a lot of interest.

The plant would operate from about August until March each year.

A council decision on the resource consent has been delayed while it gathers more information about the plans.

- The Marlborough Express

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