Username: Password:   Mandate   Objectives   Environmental Policy   Oyster   Mussel   Finfish   R&D priorities   R&D Coordinator   R&D funding agencies   Species   Health & Nutrition   Benefits of Eating Finfish   Benefits of Eating Shellfish   Market Forms of Seafood   Grades of Oysters   Buying Fresh Seafood   Basic Cooking Methods   Recipes   Care & Storage of Seafood   Sources & References   Island Oyster Growers Group Inc. Oyster Production and Methods Summary Oyster Picture Gallery Pictures courtesy of: Loretta Campbell; Matt Smith (PEIDAFA);   PEI Business Development Inc. Each summer oyster seed collectors (drainage tile) are hung from lines in selected bays and rivers on PEI. In late June - early July, oysters reproduce releasing billions of tiny oyster larvae into the water. Three to four weeks later, they cement themselves onto the collectors. By fall, the oyster seed will have grown large enough to be removed from the collectors. The collectors are harvested, "thrashed" to remove the oyster seed, and the seed placed into the mesh bags for over-wintering on the bottom. The following spring the intermediate stage begins when the bags are lifted off the bottom and placed in racks/cages or suspended from longlines. By June the one year-old oyster seed should be 15-20mm long. Many oyster growers use rebar racks which are placed on the bottom to support their mesh bags. This raises the bags up into the water column where the food is more plentiful resulting in faster growth. Other growers simply insert Styrofoam floatation into the bags and attaching them directly to buoyed longlines. Still other growers may place the mesh bags into shelved cages with one mesh bags being inserted per shelf. The cages can be hung from buoyed longlines or left on the bottom. Throughout the next year the oyster seed are graded and the densities in the bags are reduced to prevent overcrowding and to allow the oysters to begin to form the nice deep cut that is prized in the market place. By the time they reach two years old, the oysters should be 35-50mm long. Many oyster growers spread their oysters on the bottom for the last one to two years of the grow-out cycle. This helps them to form the nice deep cut that is valued by consumers. The majority of PEI's oysters come from the traditional fishery. However, an increasing number of Islanders are looking to aquaculture to expand production of this highly valuable shellfish. PEI is second to only British Columbia in terms of oyster production. Canadian production is projected to increase five-fold in the next few years with the most of this increase coming from aquaculture. PEI’s oyster aquaculture industry produces approximately 5.7-6 million pounds of oysters annually with a market value of $ 6 million. Aquaculture PEI producers are well positioned to contribute to this increase.