08/06/2026
What happens if I find a worm on my oyster?
These pesky little worms; known as hinge worms, are often found on oysters, not IN them, but ON them.
They are one of the tens of thousands of species of polychaete worm that exist world wide and they filter feed just like oysters. In SA (where our oysters are from) our most sought after fish the King George Whiting love to eat them as do other fish, so they're definitely a great contributor to the water ways and ecosystems.
They live in the hinge of the oyster, where the shell lid and the cup base are joined, hence their common name, 'The Hinge Worm'.
When the oyster is shucked (opened and lid removed), the hinge worm is agitated, and will crawl out from the crevice it's been hiding in. Most consumers will only see them inside the shell after the oyster is shucked and/ or eaten, and therefore presume they are from inside the oyster.
The presence of these worms therefore indicate the freshness of the oyster you are eating, ie the oysters have been freshly harvested from the water, and freshly shucked. You'll usually not see these in restaurant oysters, as many restaurants use a frozen Oyster product.
If you happen to eat one (or part of) these little fellas, they wont hurt you – just some extra protein, you're welcome!
So if you happen to see one of these little fellas from oysters you've purchased direct from us at the markets, or from the vending machine, rest assured the oysters are super fresh and straight from the water. You cannot get fresher Oysters in FNQ!
