Kochi, Feb 14 (IANS): In a major development, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) here, has successfully produced and transported around one lakh attached oyster spats to Maharashtra, paving the way for tribal coastal communities to engage in profitable oyster farming.

This initiative, in association with the Mangrove & Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation of Maharashtra, aimed to empower tribal self-help groups with high-yield, eco-friendly oyster farming, leveraging hatchery-reared seeds to boost livelihoods while conserving natural ecosystems.

Oyster farming is a significant global industry, valued at more than $7 billion, with increasing demand in markets such as the US, Europe, and Asia.

Oysters are highly sought after for their nutritional benefits, including high protein content, essential minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.

In the first step, millions of D-shaped larvae of Indian backwater oyster (Crassostrea madrasensis) were reared at the hatchery of Vizhinjam Regional Centre of CMFRI located in the state capital city using the broodstock collected from Kerala's Ashtamudi Lake.

Later, the scientists further reared these larvae to develop into spats ready for settlement in oyster shell rens, as the production of the attached spat is a crucial step in oyster farming.

Each oyster shell then hosted 6.5 spat on average, ensuring optimal survival rates.

These were securely packed in styrofoam boxes with seawater-soaked gunny bags and transported via a 30-hour train journey to Maharashtra.

Compared to wild-collected seed, hatchery-produced oyster seed offers several advantages as they ensure high survival rates, disease-free stock and uniform size leading to better yield and predictable production cycles.

It also helps in the conservation of natural oyster beds by reducing overexploitation and supports selective breeding for improved growth and resilience.

M K Anil, CMFRI's Principal Scientist and Principal Investigator of the project said unlike traditional aquaculture, oyster farming is a low-investment farming with no feeding involved and hence pollution is minimised.

"It is a high-return aquaculture practice that enables small-scale farmers to generate sustainable income. With adequate support such as access to hatchery-produced seed, rural farmers can venture into profitable oyster farming, tapping into opportunities in both domestic and international markets," said Anil.

He also highlighted the potential of "remote setting", a cost-saving technique used in the US and Europe.

"This involves transporting oyster larvae instead of attached spat, significantly reducing transportation costs. The larvae can then be attached to shells at the destination, either on-site or at a central facility," added Anil.