Oysters thrive in the right environment: The social sustainability of oyster farming in the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

This paper reports on a study of the oyster industry in the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, where oyster farming has become a significant component of the economy since the late 1980s. Whilst the environmental and economic impacts of this industry have been studied, there is a lack of research on the social impacts of oyster farming on the communities and the individuals who reside therein. The study extends a Five Capitals Framework (environmental, produced, social, institutional and human assets) for assessing rural sustainability by applying it to address the social impacts of the oyster industry in the Eyre Peninsula’s five principal oyster farming communities. The study combines quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques, with triangulation of the data, to demonstrate that oyster farming has had a predominantly positive effect on the social fabric. More young people are staying in the communities because of the availability of oyster-related employment. This is generating more participation in local sporting teams alongside other benefits, including more government funding for infrastructure, better educational opportunities, increased community spirit, being ‘on the map’, global oyster sales and tourism, as well as economic growth. There are also more social network linkages, increased community pride, and strengthened social capital, though competition for employment from the state’s fast-growing mining sector may threaten the industry’s future. Success has been due to workers in the oyster industry as well as business owners and managers having long-term membership of the local community. The results have implications for future consideration of social factors as a key to success of this industry in small communities.