Eight years on, the NSW government has approved 50 hectares of aquaculture leases in the area, including a 10 hectare site off Vincentia and two areas of 20 hectares off Callala Beach.

"Back then I lobbied the minister to have benign forms of aquaculture, like oyster and mussel culture, to work in tandem with the bay," said Mr Harvey, who worked as a mussel farmer for 15 years.

"I said, 'Let's put in something that we can reproduce, use a bit of science and common sense and use these natural waterways in a productive way'."

A green light on the development in late January means the leases will now be tendered to commercial enterprises to grow native shellfish species, including Blue mussels, scallops and oysters.

But not everyone is in support of the plans.

Despite ongoing discussion in local media and community groups for the past three years, residents say they have not been fully informed and are calling for greater say in the tender vetting process.

"Initially our biggest concern is the visual amenity," said Trevor Smith, vice-president of the Callala Beach Progress Association.

"Callala beach is the longest beach in Jervis Bay and it's parallel with the heads of Point Perpendicular and Bowen Island. The vista is fantastic," he said.

Of major concern to residents are the surface buoys, which float on the water and support the suspended mussel cultures on ropes.

"When they initially put this project to us ... they ended up putting some buoys out in the bay for a week and a half. They were clearly visible from the shore, black and yellow," said Mr Smith.

Around two years ago the NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries submitted an Environment Impact Statement (EIS) and draft Environment Management Plan, Visual Amenity Study and Submissions Report.

Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said approval was then given following "an extensive community consultation process in 2013".

"As part of the approval over 60 special conditions must be met and there is a requirement to report annually on lease performance."

Visual amenity, navigational safety and an impact on tourism are all key community concerns, however Ms Hodgkinson said the region will only benefit from greater access to seafood.

In NSW, about 85 per cent of the seafood purchased is imported, a statistic Ms Hodgkinson is committed to changing.

"This important industry generates jobs, drives economic growth in coastal communities and helps meet the demands for quality, sustainable seafood."

But Mr Smith said the local community does not have high hopes for any future seafood reaching the plates of Shoalhaven restaurants.

"Speaking quite objectively it very well may be good for tourism, but that would be if the shellfish were able to be sold at restaurants around here. The fact is they will be sent off to the Sydney fish markets and distributed from there."

He fears that community inaction up to this point means it is "too little, too late".

"All our members were well informed and we were proactive in making residents aware … the fact is it's been approved and we're way behind the ball if you want to do something now."

Around 68.5 per cent of Jervis Bay residents are vacant owners, which Mr Smith said could account for inaction up to this point.

While his days as a mussel farmer are behind him, Mr Harvey said the development is an opportunity to take advantage sustainable seafood production.

"It's the rich hob knobs in front of Vincentia that don't want it, [because] they'll see black dots on their blue water," he said.

"We're totally lagging behind, we've got really good clean water, and mussels are the monitors of the water. You have to constantly test, so these are markers and instruments of pollution."