Oyster

Oysters are considered as one of the most valuable bivalve mollusks in the Philippines. Aside from providing a decent income for shellfish farmers, oysters are known to be an excellent source of protein and minerals essential to the human diet. They are also popularly served in hotels and restaurants. The Philippines produced over 53 thousand metric tons (MT) of oysters in 2020, with its value reaching P1 billion. Bulacan is the top producer with a total of over 53 thousand MT. This is followed by Capiz and Negros Occidental with oyster production of 8 thousand MT and 1.4 thousand MT, respectively.

Oyster farming is considered traditional and conservative in the country as seeds are collected from the wild. Oyster seeds are collected during natural ‘spatfall,’ which occurs a few weeks after the onset of the rainy season when water salinity is reduced. Wild spats, which are oyster in larval stage, settle on oyster shells, coconut shells, bamboo, stones, empty rubber tires, and other hard materials. Oyster hatchery depends on the species to be produced, target production, geographical location and funds available. Some small hatcheries supply seedstock for their oyster culture operations, while other large hatcheries produce for their operations and retail to other growers. Spat, 2–3 millimeters (mm) in size, are produced in hatchery and nursery facilities. Further, bigger size spat are expensive due to the need to culture more and diverse species of microalgae for feeding.

The Philippine oyster industry has limited seed stocks and sources of broodstock as spat are gathered from the wild. Data on the quality oyster varieties for culture is also lacking. There is a need to improve broodstock management and conditioning, and hatchery production to increase the currently low meat yield of oysters.