Bluff's 2008 oyster season has been a "vast improvement" on last year, with some industry players suggesting it has been good enough to warrant looking at reducing the voluntary quota reduction by 15%.
While the season does not end until August, the 7.5 million quota has nearly been reached, with only one of the 11 oyster boats still fishing.
Ngai Tahu seafood general manager Geoff Hipkins said, while the fleet lost one month of fishing out of the first two of the season due to rough weather, the rest went smoothly, with the size and quality of the oysters better than last season.
"It's really encouraging that the management plans to manage the bonamia issue have been a success and it looks like it'll be a better season next year."
The industry had voluntarily decided to shelve 50% of the total annual catch of 15 million - following the devastating outbreak of the parasite bonamia in 2000 - to enable the fishery to recover.
The steady, incremental improvement in catch rates and quality was very encouraging and, at an industry meeting last month, a 15% reduction, to 35%, for next season was discussed, he said.
"It's still conservative, a very measured approach to conservation."
If it was approved, it would be reassessed three to four weeks into next season to ensure it was not negatively affecting the catch and to assess whether a further increase in the quota was possible, he said.
Ministry of Fisheries Dunedin analyst Allen Frazer said, while the results of this season's catch rates were not yet known, early information was that the fishery was continuing to rebuild, although it had not yet reached pre-2000 levels.
Bluff Oyster Management Company chairman Warren Conway said the season had been a "vast improvement" on last year, with improved quality of oysters and good demand.
Any loosening of the voluntary reduction would depend on a survey of the beds in January 2009 and the results of an assessment a month into the season.
"It's up in the air. A lot depends on mother nature."
Everyone had suffered during the bonamia outbreak, so a good season meant they were gaining some reward again, he said.
Barnes Oysters manager Graeme Wright said it was "unbelievable" how much the quality of the oysters had improved.
"In the short term, the future looks really good. It has shown a huge ability to rebuild itself."
The problems the fishery had faced with bonamia and bad weather in previous seasons had not affected people eating the delicacy, with "incredible" demand throughout the season, instead of just the first six weeks, he said.
Dunedin fisheries scientist Bob Street said there was no room for negativity in the industry after this season as the fishery was very much in recovery mode.
He was continuing to advocate enhancement of the oyster fishery at Bluff, with work done so far on producing low-cost seed oysters for release in the straits showing positive results, he said.
Oysters were sold in Dunedin for about $22 a dozen and retailers reported a good trouble-free season.
Harbour Fish owner Aaron Cooper said it was the best season in a couple of years, with oysters selling well as they were "bigger and better".
The good weather also meant a steady supply throughout the season, he said.
