2022-04-12-P&E Agenda - Item 6 - Attachment 1 - TNC Noosa_Oyster Project _6_Monthly_Report

TNC cures the oyster shell following best practice, in compliance with the Code, and in consultation with Queensland
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries biosecurity, who also sits on the project’s Technical Advisory Group. Shell curing
occurs using the following protocol:

    1.   Shell is only cured at the designated and sign-posted shell curing site.

    2.   Clean, shucked oyster shell is collected by the contractor from wholesaler/s, in bulk, in 1 tonne food-safe seafood

         transport containers and delivered to the shell curing site.

    3.   Pre-washed shell is collected by the contractor from oyster retailers in Noosa in clean 20 litre buckets and

         delivered to the designated shell curing site.

    4.   All containers used for shell transport are thoroughly washed and disinfected before storage and re-use.

    5.   At the shell curing site, shell is placed on the ground in rows separated and sign-posted by month collected.

    6.   The shell is dried and cured (desiccated) in direct sunlight for 6 months, which is two months more than is required

         by the End of Waste Code.

    7.   The shell is turned after three months of curing, as an additional desiccation measure.

    8.   Each shell pile is no higher than 1 metre, which further enhances the desiccation process.

    9.   The site is regularly monitored and maintained to reduce contamination of the shell piles.

    10. The curing site is located in an isolated area of the depot, so the risk of contamination from the depot’s other

         waste management activities is negligible.

    11. Once cured, and prior to its removal from the depot, oyster shell may be washed with freshwater to remove any

         cumulated sediment or dried organic matter, and

    12. The shell, when needed, is transported in clean containers



Waterwatch
TNC is also partnering with NICA to record water quality information at the restoration sites.

NICA volunteers led by Bruce McConkey have been busy collecting baseline water quality information for the Tewantin
restoration site. Other restoration sites will be added to this data set in the coming months and ultimately a valuable
monitoring output.




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