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The Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, formerly known as Saccostrea commercialis, is an oyster
Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water....
 species endemic to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. In Australia it is found in bays, inlets and sheltered estuaries from Wingan Inlet
Wingan Inlet

Wingan Inlet is an inlet within the Croajingolong National Park, in Victoria 's northeast. It features a ranger-managed camping ground, about an hour's drive from the nearest town, Cann River, along a notoriously rough stretch of dirt road....
 in eastern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)

File:Map Victoria Aboriginal tribes .jpgVictoria is a States and territories of Australia located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most Population density and urbanised....
, along the east coast of New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
 and up to Hervey Bay Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
., around northern Australia and down the west coast to Shark Bay
Shark Bay

Shark Bay may refer to the following locations in Western Australia:* Shire of Shark Bay* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham, Western Australia...
 in Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
. There is also a small introduced population on Flinders Island
Flinders Island

Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group...
, in Bass Strait
Bass Strait

Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland specifically the state of Victoria ....
, Tasmania
Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait....
 and in Albany on the south west coast of Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
, where they are farmed.






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The Sydney rock oyster, Saccostrea glomerata, formerly known as Saccostrea commercialis, is an oyster
Oyster

The common name oyster is used for a number of different groups of bivalve mollusks, most of which live in marine habitats or brackish water....
 species endemic to Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. In Australia it is found in bays, inlets and sheltered estuaries from Wingan Inlet
Wingan Inlet

Wingan Inlet is an inlet within the Croajingolong National Park, in Victoria 's northeast. It features a ranger-managed camping ground, about an hour's drive from the nearest town, Cann River, along a notoriously rough stretch of dirt road....
 in eastern Victoria
Victoria (Australia)

File:Map Victoria Aboriginal tribes .jpgVictoria is a States and territories of Australia located in the southeastern corner of Australia. It is the smallest mainland state in area but the most Population density and urbanised....
, along the east coast of New South Wales
New South Wales

New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
 and up to Hervey Bay Queensland
Queensland

Queensland is a States and territories of Australia of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south....
., around northern Australia and down the west coast to Shark Bay
Shark Bay

Shark Bay may refer to the following locations in Western Australia:* Shire of Shark Bay* the locality of Shark Bay, now known as Denham, Western Australia...
 in Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
. There is also a small introduced population on Flinders Island
Flinders Island

Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island , in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known* Flinders Island * Flinders Island , in the Investigator Group...
, in Bass Strait
Bass Strait

Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland specifically the state of Victoria ....
, Tasmania
Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and States and territories of Australia of the same name. It is located south of the eastern side of the continent, being separated from it by Bass Strait....
 and in Albany on the south west coast of Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
, where they are farmed. In New Zealand, where the species is not farmed, it is known as the New Zealand rock oyster. The Sydney rock oyster is closely related to Saccostrea cucullata, or hooded oyster, which is common on Indo-Pacific rocky shores.

Sydney rock oysters are capable of tolerating a wide range of salinities (halotolerant). They are usually found in the intertidal zone to 3 metres below the low water mark.

Sydney rock oysters are "broadcast spawners", that is, eggs and sperm are released into open water where fertilisation occurs. Within hours of fertilisation the eggs develop into free swimming planktonic larvae
Larvae

In Roman mythology, the larvae or lemures were the spectres or spirits of the dead; they were the malignant version of the lares. Some Roman writers describe lemures as the common name for all the spirits of the dead, and divide them into two classes: the lares, or the benevolent souls of the family, which haunted and guard...
. The larvae swim in estuarine and coastal waters for up to 3 weeks, during which time they develop transparent shells and a retractable foot. The larvae then settle on a clean substrate using the foot to find a suitable site. The foot is resorbed once the larva is attached. The shell darkens and the small animal takes on the appearance of an adult oyster.

Growth rates vary with local conditions, but they generally reach 50 g in 3 years. Sydney rock oysters may change sex during life. Many start out as males and later change to females. About 60% of prime eating oysters are female. Selective breeding has reduced the time to market size from 3 to 2 years. There has also been great success in selection for disease resistance to two protozoan diseases of oysters, namely, QX disease Marteilia sydneyi and winter mortality Bonamia roughleyi.

Oysters are filter feeders, straining planktonic algae from the water. Birds, fish, stingray
Stingray

The stingrays are a family, Dasyatidae of batoidea, cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are common in coastal tropical marine waters throughout the world, and several species are known to enter fresh water....
s, mud crab
Mud crab

Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as:*Scylla serrata, also called mangrove crab and black crab.*Scylla tranquebarica, another variety of the mangrove crab....
s and starfish all eat Sydney rock oysters, with the Australian Pied Oystercatcher being particularly fond of them.

There is a substantial commercial oyster farming industry in New South Wales and southern Queensland and a small emerging industry in Albany, Western Australia
Albany, Western Australia

Albany is located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, situated around a port on the southern coast.Its metropolitan area has a population of 25,196 as of the 2006 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state....
. The industry produces a gourmet product and provides employment in isolated coastal communities. In Australia, oysters in peak meat condition (i.e. spawning condition) are preferred for the half-shell trade.

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