![]() Oysters are generally considered to be good for the environment and have been shown to have a positive impact on the surrounding marine environment by providing valuable habitat ecosystem services to other species. Some oyster farmers use mesh bags laid on low trestles staked to the beach in the intertidal zone, some use bags, trays or cages suspended beneath longlines, and others place them directly on the seabed. Once they are big enough, they are moved to nursery tanks or ponds until they are large enough to be transferred to sea.Ī variety of different methods are used to ongrow oysters. The adaptability of oysters makes them a good species for aquaculture, and because they are filter feeders, they rely totally on natural plankton in the sea for feed.įarmed oysters start life in a hatchery, where they are spawned and hatched in a controlled environment. This species was introduced predominantly to replace depleted wild stocks of native oysters, which were dying out through overfishing and disease. Pacific oyster cultivation was introduced to Western America in the 1920s, France in 1966 and the UK in the late 1960s. The oysters attach naturally to firm substrates on the sea floor, to rocks, other shells and harbour walls. They are mainly found in shallow brackish estuaries but can live down to a depth of around 40m. In the wild, Pacific oysters are typically found in warm temperate regions and they are native to the NW Pacific and the Sea of Japan. It is from here that the Pacific oyster became introduced to North America, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. ![]() They were produced by both the ancient Greeks and the Romans, and in the modern world, oyster cultivation originated in Japan. Oysters have been cultivated commercially for centuries, and were once a staple food of the poor, rather than the more expensive treat they have become today. Pacific oysters are the most important species. Global oyster production of all species in 2018 was 6 million tonnes, with China producing around 85% of the total.
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