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Growth Trial with the American Oyster Crassostrea virginica Using Shrimp Pond Water as Feed |
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| Authors: | Greg S Jakob Gary D Pruder Jaw-Kai Wang |
| Institution: | Aquaculture Technology, Inc., P.O. Box 490, Kailua-Kona. Hawaii 96745–0490 USA;The Oceanic Institute, Makapuu Point, P.O. Box 25280. Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 USA;Agricultural Engineering Department, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA |
| Abstract: | This study was conducted to quantify the potential of Crassostrea virginica biculture using marine shrimp pond water. It was envisioned that this biculhre could avoid cost and reliability problems associated with the mass production of algae as oyster feed. Such problems contributed to the failure of previous attempts to commercialize oyster culture. Oysters were reared in each of two flow through 310 L tanks receiving shrimp pond water from selected commercial semi-intensive shrimp ponds. In each tank, pond water was delivered to the upper trays and flowed downward through each of two seven tray stacks. For both tanks, mean oyster growth rate (2 g/wk) and survival (79%) from seed (0.04 g) to market size (55.0 g) compared favorably with previous reports and for the first time approximated the growth projected in a 1968 engineering study by American Cyanamid (Calbo et al. 1968). Oyster growth within and between tanks indicated a relationship between biomass and exchange rates. During a 65 d controlled monitoring period mean oyster growth rates of 3.7 g/wk were achieved in upper trays of both tanks. Data are provided to estimate optimum pond water flow rate and oyster biomass relationships. The prospects for shrimp and bivalve co-culture appear promising. |
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