![]() ![]() edulis spat collectors intended for reef restoration purposes but may need further development for cultivation application.Ībstract = "Efficient spat collection is essential to both the successful restoration and cultivation of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). Suspended sacks of bivalve shells show great promise as O. Fouling was heavy and may have prevented larval settlement on collectors deployed too early. In general, most spat were observed on collectors deployed 1–2 weeks after the peak in larval abundance was detected. The most successful spat collectors were sacks of bivalve shells. edulis and the non-indigenous Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) varied between locations and years. Larval abundance, and timing of peaks in abundance for both O. These different types included Chinese hats, Vexar mesh, PVC tubes, and four types of bivalve shells. ![]() The results of four different experiments investigating larval abundance, and the use of seven different types of suspended spat collectors in seven locations in the SW Netherlands were compared. “This is what’s gonna save our coast, and yes, it’s going to save the oyster industry - but it’s also going to rebuild the eco-system,” he says, adding that “now” is the time to act, before it’s too late.Efficient spat collection is essential to both the successful restoration and cultivation of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). Even if you reclaimed every oyster shell at every restaurant eaten on the Gulf Coast, it’s still not enough to touch what we need to do,” says Cannon.īoasso, who grew up in the region, believes the prehistoric shells are a giant step toward coastal restoration. “A lot of people like to use dried oyster shell but there’s just not enough of it out there in the wild. He also explains why they are better than the traditional method of using recycled shells. “This shell has properties in it that really attract the oyster larva, and it’s like a magnet to them,” says Cannon. Spat-Tech President Chris Cannon is thrilled about the success rate of the 15-million-year-old shells. The key to modern day success for the Spat-Tech team is something prehistoric: fossilized oyster shells from a prehistoric reef discovered in Florida. And what we do here is we control that mortality rate.” “When all the oysters on a particular reef spawn, they lay in the water column for a very long time with a very, very high mortality rate. “We’re basically accelerating Mother Nature,” explains LeBlanc. Stephen LeBlanc manages the hatchery, where he says “they bring everything to life.” Spat-Tech scientists protect the oysters each step of the way, from the hatchery spawning table, to various holding tanks, to the off-shore nursery, and eventually many of them go back to the reef where their parents were taken from. Walter explained how the oysters are like children: “When they are first born you have to feed them small algae, and then as they grow they have bigger algae they get to eat.” Spat-Tech Owner, Walter Boasso, gave our Travel Girl, Stephanie Oswald, a tour which started in a room full of giant glass tubes filled with algae. To nourish all those filter-feeders, thirty trillion (yes, trillion!) cells of algae are grown each day. When you walk into Spat-Tech, you might feel as if you’ve entered Willy Wonka’s factory, except this is a place that produces oysters, not chocolate. – You don’t normally find oysters growing 40 miles inland, but at one former fish hatchery in Perkinston, Mississippi, there are millions of them! ![]() Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. ![]() This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. ![]()
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