The density and distribution of Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) in Krueng Cut, Aceh Besar

Crassostrea gigas is a Pacific oyster that has the largest size among the other oysters. This oyster is most often found because of its ability to adapt to a variety of environments. Krueng Cut is an estuary area that gets a lot of nutrient input from sea water because it is directly adjacent to the ocean. This condition makes this area has a high abundance of oysters with high fishing and antropogenic activities as well. The purpose of this study was to determine the density and distribution of the oyster population from 3 representative stations along the estuary area of Krueng Cut. The method used in this study is random sampling using a quadratic transect. The results show that the highest density is indicated by station 3 with 55.67 ind/m2 and the lowest density is indicated by station 1 is 40.33 ind/m2. These results indicate that the activities of residents, the entry of contaminants from antropogenic affect the density of oysters. The distribution of oysters from the three stations showed similarities, namely they tended to grouping. The aquatic environment at the three research stations still supports the growth of oysters. This study confirms that there has been a decline in the population, which is characterized by a decrease in the number of catches and a smaller size of oysters.

Understanding drivers of wild oyster population persistence

Persistence of wild Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas, also known as Crassostrea gigas, has been increasingly reported across Northern European waters in recent years. While reproduction is inhibited by cold waters, recent warm summer temperature has increased the frequency of spawning events. Although correlation between the increasing abundance of Pacific oyster reefs in Northern European waters and climate change is documented, persistence of wild populations may also be influenced by external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations, as well as on competition for resources with aquaculture sites. Our understanding of the combined impact of the spawning frequency, external recruitment, and competition on wild population persistence is limited. This study applied an age-structured model, based on ordinary differential equations, to describe an oyster population under discrete temperature-related dynamics. The impact of more frequent spawning events, external recruitment, and changes in carrying capacity on Pacific oyster density were simulated and compared under theoretical scenarios and two case studies in Southern England. Results indicate that long term persistence of wild oyster populations towards carrying capacity requires a high frequency of spawning events but that in the absence of spawning, external recruitment from farmed populations and other wild oyster populations may act to prevent extinction and increase population density. However, external recruitment sources may be in competition with the wild population so that external recruitment is associated with a reduction in wild population density. The implications of model results are discussed in the context of wild oyster population management.

Beyond residence time: quantifying factors that drive the spatially explicit filtration services of a “pristine” oyster population

The Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas (GTM) system is a relatively pristine and well-flushed estuary in Northeastern Florida, USA and characterized as having an extraordinarily high abundance of oysters. Historically, dense populations of oysters, such as those found in GTM, are believed to play an important role in water filtration; however, few biofiltration studies have had access to such pristine populations. To quantify the filtration service (FS) of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) in GTM at several spatial scales (i.e. reef, watershed, estuary), we implemented a model that solves for the hydrodynamics and depletion of particulate matter passing over model oyster populations, the latter of which were derived from detailed bay-wide surveys. The model results suggested that oyster reefs populating the GTM play an important role in water quality by filtering ~60% of the estuary’s volume within its residence time. Our approach teases apart the role of reef size, residence time, particle concentration, and other physical factors on the generation of FS at different spatial scales. Downstream effects were found to be very important for estuary FS, which depend on the spatial distribution of the reefs in the GTM and local and estuarine-scale hydrodynamics. Therefore, the difference between “realized” FS and the “potential” FS of a given reef may be substantial when considering the complex hydrodynamic and connectivity among populations at several scales. Our model results provide clear and actionable information for management of these oyster populations and conservation of their ecosystem services.

Oyster-Predator Dynamics and Climate Change

Oysters are one of the most important natural resources found in coastal and estuarine areas of Florida, but some Florida oyster populations appear to be declining. One possible driver of oyster population decline is increased mortality from oyster predators, including marine snails. But other environmental factors, such as changes in temperature or salinity, may also affect oysters. This 5-page fact sheet written by Gabrielle Love, Shirley Baker, and Edward V. Camp and published by the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences describes how a changing climate may affect oysters directly but also indirectly by affecting their predators.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa228

Spatial epidemiological modelling of infection by Vibrio aestuarianus shows that connectivity and temperature control oyster mortality

Vibrio aestuarianus infection in oyster populations causes massive mortality, resulting in losses for oyster farmers. Such dynamics result from host-pathogen interactions and contagion through water-borne transmission. To assess the spatiotemporal spread of V. aestuarianus infection and associated oyster mortality at a bay scale, we built a mathematical model informed by experimental infection data at 2 temperatures and spatially dependent marine connectivity of oyster farms. We applied the model to a real system and tested the importance of each factor using a number of modelling scenarios. Results suggest that introducing V. aestuarianus in a fully susceptible adult oyster population in the bay would lead to the mortality of all farmed oysters over 6 to 12 mo, depending on the location in which infection was initiated. The effect of temperature was captured by the basic reproduction number (R0), which was >1 at high seawater temperatures, as opposed to values <1 at low temperatures. At the ecosystem scale, simulations showed the existence of long-distance dispersal of free-living bacteria. The western part of the bay could be reached by bacteria originating from the eastern side, though the spread time was greatly increased. Further developments of the model, including the consideration of the anthropogenic movements of oysters and oyster-specific sensitivity factors, would allow the development of accurate maps of epidemiological risks and help define aquaculture zoning.

Spatial Distribution of Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Population Related Environment Factor in Coastal Water of Pabean Ilir, Indramayu

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas, Thunberg, 1793) is a benthic organisme that tend to live and settle in the bottom. One of the pacific oyster habitat is Coastal Water of Pabean Ilir, Indramayu. The purpose of this study was to map spatial condition of the population related habitat of the oyster (Crassostrea gigas). The mapping were done with laptop, using Arc GIS. There were 15 points of sampling. The oyster population in Pabean Ilir can be categorized into three categories: low, medium, and high density. Based on the similarity of environmental characteristics the habitat were divided into four groups. Condition Coastal Water of Pabean Ilir such as temperature, salinity, pH, BOD, TSS, TDS, COD, and composition of substrate indicated Coastal Water of Pabean Ilir have compatibility optimum sufficient habitat to support the growth of pacific oyster

Wild Pacific oyster Magallana gigas (Thunberg, 1793) populations in Romanian Black Sea waters – friend or foe?

A relatively small population of Magallana gigas was discovered near the Agigea harbor (Constan&#539;a, Romania) in 2017. The DNA barcoding method was used to confirm the morphological identification&nbsp;of the species. We consider this colony to be the first instance of a possibly stable Pacific oyster population in the Black Sea, outside of farming activities. The possible impact on native ecosystems is&nbsp;briefly discussed.