You’ll find Leeuwin Coast oysters on the menus of restaurants across Australia and internationally, as well as at select fishmongers in Western Australia. Ordering is available through our wholesale partners.
Our aquaculture system uses commercial hatcheries to breed spat (baby mussels and oysters) meaning we don’t deplete natural stocks. Our seafood is sustainably farmed using techniques that fuel a better ecosystem. The dropper lines we hang in the ocean for Akoya to grow on creates a habitat, almost like a floating reef. This provides a home for all manner of marine life, from crabs to fish and more. We also invest in and support world-class marine conservation research, and where possible, we have eliminated plastics within our business and are continuously investigating ways of reducing plastics in everything we do.
The decision to have our products certified as Climate Active Carbon Neutral reflects our commitment to supplying the finest, sustainable seafood. This is supported by our vision to increase the efficiency of our operation, reduce our emissions wherever possible, and to fully offset remaining emissions. We also closely invest in innovative technology and methods to constantly improve our sustainable farming practices.
Shellfish are inherently sustainable and naturally remove carbon from their environment. In addition to this we have worked to reduce our operating emissions and then purchased carbon credits to eliminate any leftover emissions. The carbon credits are from the Gold Standard Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor Project working to regenerate vegetation in the West Australian wheatbelt and an international conservation project. Our end goal is to generate our own carbon credits through our emissions reduction project—building a covered anaerobic lagoon in Harvey.
The certification process is facilitated by the Australian government’s Climate Active initiative whose certification is one of the most rigorous in the world. We conducted a life cycle assessment to determine the carbon footprint by calculating all the input and emissions associated with the production of our shellfish. We reduced where possible and any remaining emissions can be ‘cancelled out’ by purchasing carbon offsets. This is then audited by a third-party auditor and then sent to Climate Active for verification.
Our Akoya and Albany Rock Oysters have all been certified.
Aquaculture refers to farming aquatic organisms on land or in the ocean. Fish, shellfish and algae are the most commonly farmed groups around the world, producing valuable protein to meet global demand. In fact, as of 2013 aquaculture has been producing more seafood than wild catch. Sustainability is at the heart of our aquaculture development as we continue to invest in and develop new techniques to ensure our environment is healthy.
Yes, the Akoya grows native to WA and is harvested from our farms in Albany and Garden Island.
The Akoya is a pearl oyster, but the product is not as you know it. Instead of just harvesting the muscle from the oyster, which is what pearl meat is, we harvest the whole oyster. This has the added benefit of creating a delicious and complex flavour profile, harnessing every bit of the oyster. The natural flavours of the oyster combined with our pristine great southern waters, is a culinary delight.