A comparison of oyster quality and physiology between oysters from different origin
Market demands for high quality oysters are growing. A group of oyster farmers in the Dutch Delta started with a new initiative to culture oysters off-bottom: in baskets and in bags (on tables). Whether this method is successful and allows up-scaling, is dependent on the growth and quality of the oysters from these production methods and the cost-price per oyster. Quality should be better than for oysters from on-bottom plots, which is the traditional oyster culture in The Netherlands and quality should at least be comparable to oysters imported from France. A former study assessed the difference in quality (condition index) and physiology (in this case gill:palp ratio) of oysters from different locations in the Netherlands. The objective of that study was to compare CI and G:P ratio of oysters from the four different origins which are transported to the Eastern Scheldt with oysters from Eastern Scheldt origin on different moments in time after transportation.
This study aims to do additional analysis for the change in physiology (gill/palp ratio and condition index) at a later point in time.