Awarua Rūnanga and Biosecurity New Zealand have imposed control measures, including a rāhui and a Controlled Area Notice, to safeguard the Foveaux Strait oyster fishery from the parasite Bonamia ostreae. These measures create a 'no-take' zone around the area where three infected oysters were found. The controls are in place indefinitely to allow for urgent sampling and testing of oysters from other areas. The area affected is a 30.9km2 region east of Saddle Point on Stewart Island and has not been fished for the past five years. The controls do not impact the availability of Bluff oysters, and the parasite does not affect food safety.