Life on an oyster farm in Stansbury South Australia is picture perfect, as long as it's not raining.

Yorke Peninsula isn't the state's most famous oyster region, but producers here grow millions of oysters for farms on Eyre Peninsula and the west coast - areas synonymous with the seafood favourites.

"The majority of our stuff goes over to the West Coast," says Steve Bowley, who has 20 hectares of oyster lease in the bay.

"The west coast grows a very good oyster but clearly it can't grow all of the oysters required to be sold as 'Coffin Bay'.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 5 minutes 32 seconds 5 m Steve Bowley is an oyster farmer from Stansbury in South Australia. ( Lauren Waldhuter ) Download 2.5 MB

"So we're sort of like a grow out area for them."

Demand for oysters still exceeds supply in Australia, with 500,000 dozen imported each year, and Mr Bowley says research is the key to boosting productivity.

"It is a very young industry and really it's only 25-years-old," he said.

"We are behind the eight-ball but we're no further behind than other industries.

"So there are fantastic opportunities for the industry to take advantage of the research that's going on out there.

"Growing oysters with better growth rates, fatter oysters, better shaped oysters, all of that."

Steve Bowley grows oysters at Stansbury on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. ( Lauren Waldhuter )

Mr Bowley says developing an oyster resistant to Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome (POMS) is also a key industry priority.

The virus wipes out huge populations of oysters, and little is known about how to prevent it.

"There's no point having a great-shaped oyster with a fast growth rate if it's dead," Mr Bowley says.

"So we need to make sure we're growing oysters that will survive in our waters."

Growers in South Australia are also hoping producing the native angasi oyster could be one solution.

Angasis are native to the Stansbury region but were over fished, depleting stocks.

But Mr Bowley says diversifying using this species, which isn't wiped-out by POMS could be a lucrative option for growers.

"They attract high returns, they command a bigger price in the market," he said.

"They're harder to grow, Pacific oysters are very robust and forgiving, the angasis, probably not.

"But that species diversity - that's what we're after."

An oyster lease off the coast of Stansbury on South Australia's Yorke Peninsula ( Lauren Waldhuter )

These oysters are grown over sea-grass meadows giving them a unique flavour. ( Lauren Waldhuter )

Steve Bowley collects fresh oysters from his farm off the coast of Stansbury in South Australia. ( Lauren Waldhuter )