BIVALVE MOLLUSCAN CULTURE IN AN ARTIFICIAL UPWELLING SYSTEM 1

• Published in: Proceedings of the World Mariculture Society
• Main Authors: Roels, Oswald A., Sunderlin, Judith B., Laurence, Scott
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1979
• Subjects: Agronomy and Crop Science; Aquatic Science; Crassostrea gigas
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1979.tb00013.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1749-7345.1979.tb00013.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1979.tb00013.x

ABSTRACT Since May 1972, the St. Croix Artificial Upwelling Project has utilized a constant flow of nutrient‐rich water, pumped from 870 m depth in the sea into ponds (100 m 2 , one m deep) on the north shore of St. Crolx, to produce phytoplankton. This phytoplankton suspension was pumped continuously to filter‐feeding shellfish. Initial technical feasibility experiments have demonstrated that Mercenaria campechiensis , a hybrid of M. mercenaria x M. campechiensis, Tapes japonica, Ostrea edulis, Crassostrea gigas, C. gigas Kumamoto variety, Argopecten irradians and Pinctada martensii grew rapidly in this system. Crassostrea virginica and M. mercenaria did not grow well. From October 1976 until October 1978, the St. Croix Artificial Upwelling Mariculture system was operated in pilot‐plant fashion to determine yields and provide a basis for cost estimates of the system. Tapes japonica used in the pilot plant were produced in the hatchery of the Artificial Upwelling system in St. Croix. The phytoplankton protein production achieved in the pilot plant, including the down‐time of the nutrient‐limited pools for cleaning and reinoculation, was equivalent to 8.1 tons/ha/year from July 1977 until July 1978. During a 12‐month period of pilot plant operation (October 1977‐October 1978), 423 kg of Tapes japonica were produced, corresponding to 22% conversion efficiency of phytoplankton protein to shellfish meat protein and 42.3 tons of shellfish produced/year/ha of phytoplankton pond. An economic evaluation of the pilot plant results is underway.