Stimulating investment in pearl farming in ... - World Fish Center

Suitability of Habitats for Growth of Black-Lip and Silver-Lip Pearl Oysters Final, June 2008minimal growth of juveniles in winter suggests also that pearl farmers should not transferspat from hatcheries when temperatures at grow-out locations drop below 25°C (Yukihira etal. 2006) No information was found about the effects of reduced salinities on the largeroysters used by some sectors of the Australian silver pearl industry. The use of largeoysters, however, probably avoids the potential problem of minimal growth in winter.Information about the environmental conditions prevailing at silver-lip pearl oyster farms isscarce. The experimental studies on the growth, survival and condition of silver-lip pearloysters undertaken in two environments in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon differing in termsof SPM and POM concentrations indicate that the growth rate and final condition of oysterscultured in the mainland bay was not significantly different from that at the offshorelocation (Yukihira et al. 2006). This implies that silver-lip pearl oysters are physiologicallyadapted to a wide range of food concentrations and that they could potentially be culturedin a variety of habitats, including areas of the Solomon Islands that are subject to highrainfall and inputs of terrigenous sediments.6.3 Overall ConclusionsAlthough black-lip and silver-lip pearl oyster farming are lucrative industries, there is asurprising lack of basic information on the influence of environmental factors on theirbiology and ecology and on environmental conditions at existing farms and their influenceon culture practices. Information on coral reef habitats within some of the specified regionsof the Pacific Ocean is also lacking. This lack of information hinders assessments about thesuitability of available habitats for growing pearl oysters in the Solomon Islands relative tothose in the other Pacific regions. Despite this, it is clear from the literature sourced that,from an environmental perspective, there is potential for farming of both black-lip andsilver-lip pearl oysters to take place in the Solomon Islands. The turbid waters adjacent tothe leeward side of the mountainous islands are likely to be more favourable for farmingsilver-lip than black-lip pearl oysters.The Ecology Lab Pty Ltd – Marine and Freshwater Studies Page 27