A technological solution for preserving the quantity and quality of oysters grown in Brazil

ABSTRACT

Summer mortality of Crassostrea gigas occurs in Brazilian crops, with predominance in the final phase of cultivation, when they reach the commercial size, generating significant losses for local producers. In order to mitigate this problem, a technical solution, whose principle is based on long-term confinement at low temperatures (10 −12°C) for inducing a similar basal metabolism regime, has been developed. According to the current literature, if the spawning process is not triggered, a substantial reduction in the mortality rate can be achieved. This work evaluates not only the effectiveness of this technological solution to reduce summer mortality but also the quality associated to commercial attributes of the oysters as a final product. A ninety-one day experiment has been carried out and has shown that the proposed solution is able to maintain Crassostrea gigas diploid oysters alive and healthy.

KEYWORDS:

• Crassostrea gigas
• summer mortality
• basal metabolism
• long-term confinement

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES – Finance Code 001) of the Ministry of Education and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation for the financial support of this work. Authors also acknowledge the personnel of Nixxen Comércio de Frutos do Mar for all cooperation and for sharing their knowledge on oyster farming practices. Thanks are extended to Prof. Christian Inard, Université de La Rochelle, for making it possible to identify critical insights to the success of this experiment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).