Investor Information:
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) is a co-funded partnership between the Australian Government and fisheries and aquaculture. FRDC is a statutory corporation under the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 (the PIRD Act) and is responsible to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
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Paul Evans
2025 Nuffield Scholar
A global pursuit to boost oyster quality
A consistent supply of higher quality oysters is the aim for Paul Evans, who will study whether this can be achieved by combining farming methods and technologies.
Paul, from Streaky Bay, South Australia, said oyster farmers in less productive areas face challenges in consistently conditioning stock for sale.
Paul said there are a number of farming methods commonly in use, including adjustable longline, subtidal, and floating basket systems including the relatively new ‘flip farming’.
“Flip farming presents a promising solution by mitigating many of the previous issues associated with various floating systems,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to investigating the original floating and subtidal systems, the emerging ‘flip farm’ technology, and various BST style adjustable longline conditioning theories to potentially refine our farming practices.”
Through his scholarship, supported by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), Paul hopes to determine whether changing farming practices or combining elements from the varying methods can enhance farmers’ ability to consistently produce high-quality, marketable oysters.
Paul said his research fits with his industry’s goal to foster sustainable farming habits and promote the supply of superior product to market.
“I hope this will ensure a sustainable future for farmers in less productive waters, due to having a premium product that is continuously comparable to more nutrient rich farming regions.”
Paul hopes to travel to New Zealand, where ‘flip farming’ was invented, as well as to the coastlines of the United States of America and France.
Domestically, he will visit Coles Bay in Tasmania, where oysters are farmed in both coastal and estuary locations.
“Each of these locations will have valuable information we can apply at home to improve our current farming practices.”
Paul has enjoyed a varied career, having played AFL football at a professional level, before joining the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.
He is now the owner and manager of his family oyster farming business, Evans Oysters. The business produces excess of 70,000 dozen oysters annually with current plans for expansion.
Ph: 0415 325 908