Oyster culture involves hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out methods. Hatcheries produce larvae that are set on cultch and grown in nurseries before intensive or extensive grow-out. Intensive methods use higher densities and protection, while extensive is on leased bottom. Advances include disease resistance breeding and polyploidy. Issues facing the industry are increased Vibrios, ocean acidification, and diseases.
Oyster culture involves hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out methods. Hatcheries produce larvae that are set on cultch and grown in nurseries before intensive or extensive grow-out. Intensive methods use higher densities and protection, while extensive is on leased bottom. Advances include disease resistance breeding and polyploidy. Issues facing the industry are increased Vibrios, ocean acidification, and diseases.
Oyster culture involves hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out methods. Hatcheries produce larvae that are set on cultch and grown in nurseries before intensive or extensive grow-out. Intensive methods use higher densities and protection, while extensive is on leased bottom. Advances include disease resistance breeding and polyploidy. Issues facing the industry are increased Vibrios, ocean acidification, and diseases.
Oyster culture involves hatcheries, nurseries, and grow-out methods. Hatcheries produce larvae that are set on cultch and grown in nurseries before intensive or extensive grow-out. Intensive methods use higher densities and protection, while extensive is on leased bottom. Advances include disease resistance breeding and polyploidy. Issues facing the industry are increased Vibrios, ocean acidification, and diseases.
Crassostrea virgnica Oyster Life Cycle Hatchery Phase • Hatcheries are common on the west and northeast coasts • Gulf of Mexico there are no commercial hatcheries • Hatcheries face many of the same issue that animals in the wild Hatchery Phase - Algae
Batch Culture – Open air, easily Continuous culture – Flow-through,
contaminated, labor intensive, one tank high density production, higher may last few days cost, labor intensive in beginning, one bag can last over a month Alga Growth Curve Hatchery Phase - Broodstock • Harvest from wild • Conditioning – Temperature control – Water quality – Quality diet Hatchery Phase – Induced Spawn • Ripe broodstock • Recircualting spawning tank • Fluctuate temperature – Typically using ice • Can take hours – Sacraficing a male can help females spawn • Higher quality eggs and sperm Photo courtesy of Horn Point Oyster Hatchery, University of Maryland Hatchery Phase – Strip Spawn • Shuck • Sample gonads – Sex determination – Egg or sperm quality • Scrape gonad into a container • Add seawater to hydrate eggs – Do not add water to males (starts sperm moving) • Screen out debris • Collect eggs or sperm, mix Induced vs. Strip Spawn • Induced can give better quality eggs • Broodstock sacrificed in strip spawn • Induced can take much longer • Strip spawn allows for control of time of fertilization – Ideal for polyploidy culture Hatchery Phase - Larviculture Takes 10 to 20 days until metamophosis – Temperature – Water quality (toxins or bacteria will lower survival) – Food Quality – Proper handling Hatchery Phase - Larviculture Table 1. Larviculture parameters (Wallace et al. 2008) Sieve size μm Larval density Algae density Days after spawn Larval height (μm) (diagonal) (larvae/ml) (cells/ml)
0 - 20 10 20-25,000
2 65 35 (50) 5 20-25,000
4 100 53 (75) 5 20-25,000
6 140 53 (75) 4-5 30-40,000
8 180 73 (103) 4 50,000
10 220 73 (103) 4 50,000
12 260 100 (141) 3 70-80,000
14 290 118 (166) 2.5 100-150,000
Hatchery Phase - Setting • Pediveliger or “eyed larvea” final stage • Only time in life cycle where the oyster uses its foot A photomicrograph of an eyed oyster larvae. • Once the oyster sets it’s Photo by Michael Congrove, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, The College of William and Mary will not move under it’s own power Setting - Cultch • Material oysters set on – Chicken scratch – Crushed coral – Oyster shells • Size of Cultch critical • Smaller Cultch = individual oyster Oyster with spat Photograph courtesy of Hama Hama Oysters Nursery phase • High intensity = high density • Flow-through • Upwelling keeps oyster in suspension • Natural food supply • Exposed to weather Solar powered Floating Upweller System (aka FLUPSY). Photo courtesy of Dale Leavitt, Center for Economic and Environmental Development, Roger Williams University Extensive Culture • On-bottom leased culture • Typically do not obtain seed from hatcheries • Obtain seed for managed leases or from public grounds barge sprays off oysters shells to build a reef in Dicks Bay (Photo courtesy of Ken Blevins, Wilmington Star-News). Grow out – Extensive Extensive Culture Pros Cons • Less investment • No control over survival • No hatchery required • Labor intensive • Several leases • Fouling and disease can throughout the region be issues can reduce impact of • Slower growth major events Intensive Culture: Grow-out • Higher density • Typically off-bottom • Predator exclusion – cages, rafts, bags • Generally higher survival and faster growth rate Intensive Culture: Grow-out Intensive Culture: Grow-out
Tidal bag culture, tidal influx rolls bags giving and ideal shape and exposure to air reduces fouling organisms Photograph courtesy of Hama Hama Oysters Intensive Culture: Grow-out Fouling Control
Off-bottom culture not treated for Off-bottom culture exposed at low-tide
fouling (simulated on-bottom culture) Intensive Culture: Grow-out Pros Cons • Can measure growth • Capital investment and survival rates • Handling fouling issues • Stock systems to allow • Environmental impact harvest throughout the issues year • Natural disasters • Protects the investment • Requires several of hatchery reared permits oysters Advances in Oyster Culture • Selection and breeding for disease resistance • Increased meat yield through polyploidy culture • Post-harvest treatment for safer consumption • Predator reduction Issue facing Oyster culture industry • Increase in Vibrios – Harmful to humans – Harmful to oysters • Ocean Acidification – Decreased larval survival – Effects on spawning or fertilization rates? • Diseases – MSX – Emerging disease
