Oyster farming is an important industry in the Philippines, particularly in Bacoor Bay. There are four species of oysters cultivated using either stake or hanging methods. With stake culture, bamboo poles are arranged in the bay and oysters attach to the poles. Hanging culture uses oyster shells strung on ropes and suspended from bamboo platforms. Oysters are harvested after 6-8 months, sorted by size, and sold fresh or shucked. However, rapid siltation and pollution from bamboo structures used in farming threaten the sustainability of oyster production in Philippine bays.
Oyster farming is an important industry in the Philippines, particularly in Bacoor Bay. There are four species of oysters cultivated using either stake or hanging methods. With stake culture, bamboo poles are arranged in the bay and oysters attach to the poles. Hanging culture uses oyster shells strung on ropes and suspended from bamboo platforms. Oysters are harvested after 6-8 months, sorted by size, and sold fresh or shucked. However, rapid siltation and pollution from bamboo structures used in farming threaten the sustainability of oyster production in Philippine bays.
Oyster farming is an important industry in the Philippines, particularly in Bacoor Bay. There are four species of oysters cultivated using either stake or hanging methods. With stake culture, bamboo poles are arranged in the bay and oysters attach to the poles. Hanging culture uses oyster shells strung on ropes and suspended from bamboo platforms. Oysters are harvested after 6-8 months, sorted by size, and sold fresh or shucked. However, rapid siltation and pollution from bamboo structures used in farming threaten the sustainability of oyster production in Philippine bays.
Oyster farming is an important industry in the Philippines, particularly in Bacoor Bay. There are four species of oysters cultivated using either stake or hanging methods. With stake culture, bamboo poles are arranged in the bay and oysters attach to the poles. Hanging culture uses oyster shells strung on ropes and suspended from bamboo platforms. Oysters are harvested after 6-8 months, sorted by size, and sold fresh or shucked. However, rapid siltation and pollution from bamboo structures used in farming threaten the sustainability of oyster production in Philippine bays.
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OYSTER FARMING IN THE
PHILIPPINES presented by Loida Samsin I. Introduction The Philippines is an archipelago which has numerous sites suitable for oyster farming. The cultivation of oysters in the country started in Bacoor Bay in Bacoor and Kawit towns in the province of Cavite. Operations were generally small-farm and family business. The average size of farm is 0.5 ha to 5 ha and the average production approximately 50 metric tons per hectare. Due to the proximity of these two towns to Metro Manila markets and the availability of land and water transportation facilities, marketing of oysters has not been a great problem. Moreover, the present demand for oysters still exceeds supply.
II. Species Cultured
There are four species of oysters cultivated: Crassostrea iredalei, C. cucullata, C. malabonensis and C. palmipes. Of these four species, C. iredalei is the most commercially desirable because it grows at a faster rate to a larger size and has straight shell margins which make them easier to open.
* Fisheries Officer, Bureau of Fisheries, Binakayan Research Laboratory, Cavite.
III. Farming Methods
Two methods of oyster cultivation are practised in Bacoor Bay: stake and hanging method. These are both productive and inexpensive and are widely used by the farmers.
1. Stake method - the basal portions of mature bamboos are used. The length of bamboo trunks depends upon the water depth at the farm site. They are arranged at 1.0 m interval. The tips of the stakes usually extend above the low water mark by about one-half meter (Plate 1). 2. Hanging method - the cultches installed in the oyster plots consists of oyster shells strung in polyethylene ropes of a certain length depending upon the height of the water column where they are to be installed. Holes are punched at the centre of the oyster shells by means of a nail. The holes are just big enough for the polyethylene rope to pass through. The oyster shells are spaced at intervals of 12 cm by means of knots made on the line (Fig. 1, Plate 2).
With regard to the construction and design of a platform for the installation of the hanging collectors different sizes of bamboos are used (Fig. 2) (42 pcs of bamboo trunks, 21 pcs of cross poles, 10 pcs of horizontal support poles and 1 kg of nails). The size of each plot is usually 1 m × 20 m. Bamboo trunks are staked at the bottom at one meter interval. A similar series of bamboo trunks is positioned parallel to the first. A meter-long piece of bamboo is nailed at each to connect every pair of bamboo trunks. On top of these cross pieces, three full length bamboos are nailed horizontally, one row along each side and one in the centre running parallel to each other (Plate 3). The collectors are fixed on the oyster plots by tying the free end of the polyethylene rope around the top horizontal bamboo poles. The distance between collectors is about 25–30 cm. Figure 1. Oyster cultches.
Plate 1. Oyster stake culture.
Plate 2. Oyster cultches.
IV. Management Practices
Stakes and collectors are installed in the natural oyster spawning grounds during the months of May to August when the environmental factors such as salinity and temperature are most favorable. These months represent the peak period of oyster spawning in the Philippines. Predators like crabs, sea urchins, oyster drills are picked up by hand. Sponges, annelids and barnacles are scraped off with the aid of sharp knives. These fouling organisms tend to reduce the yield by crowding or smothering newly settled spats as well as slowing down the movement of water and transport of food. Likewise, these organisms add weight to the collectors which can cause the stakes to fall. The farms are guarded vigilantly against poachers especially when oysters have reached marketable size. Culture period is 6–8 months. Oysters are best gathered during the months of March, April and May. During this period they are fat, full, rounded, bulging and creamy. During harvesting divers swim underwater and pry off the clusters of oysters from the stake with a mallet or any hard object and put them in bamboo baskets placed at the centre of an inflated rubber interior. When the basket is filled, the divers swim back to the banca (boat) to unload the oysters after washing and shaking them vigorously in sea water. Harvesting is much easier with the hanging method (Plate 4). The hanging collectors are simply cut off and hauled in the banca. The banca is brought ashore or to the caretaker's house. The attached oysters are removed from the shell collectors with sharp instruments. Oysters are sorted according to size in order to separate the marketable size from the undersized. The young and immature oysters are returned to the bay either by broadcasting or spreading them over the bottom or by putting them in bamboo trays suspended from bamboo framework. Figure 2. Oyster hanging platform.
Plate 3. Oyster platform.
Plate 4. Oyster raft culture.
V. Marketing
Oysters are sold shell-on or shucked. Shucking is done with a sharp knife. The meat is removed from the shells and placed in a container filled with clean water. The meat is weighed and measured by volume. Unshucked oysters are sold by the basket or by the kilogram. The present supply of oysters hardly meets local demand. Many farm operators are hesitant to enter into contracts with businessmen from other countries because they are afraid they may not be able to meet the required quantity stipulated in the contract. Although oysters can be bought in the local market the whole year round, demand is higher during certain months, usually during summer when oysters are prepared for outings and other gatherings. On the other hand, during stormy weather, the supply is relatively low due to difficulty in harvesting.
VI. Problems
One major problem of oyster farming is the rapid siltation and pollution of the bays and estuaries. The bamboo poles used in oyster farming accelerate the deterioration of the environment by acting as barriers to the free flow of silt.
