Oyster boats began heading out into Foveaux Strait in the early hours of Friday on the first day of the season.
Fishermen are expecting a good year as stocks continue to bounce back from a devastating disease in the early 2000s that wiped out about 1.5 billion oysters in the strait.
Barnes Oysters Ltd general manager Graeme Wright said phones at the Invercargill business did not stop ringing all morning, showing how strong market demand is.
Mr Wright said oysters are likely to be flown to Auckland during Friday.
