‘Large triploid oyster’, three times larger than a regular oyster… Gunsan City "Western Food Cruise"

Gunsan City, Jeollabuk-do, announced on the 9th that the 'new breed (shellfish) aquaculture research and development project', which is being promoted to respond to climate change and promote sustainable development of the aquaculture industry, is progressing smoothly.

Triploid oysters are oysters with three pairs of chromosomes (3n). They do not reproduce like 'seedless watermelons' but focus their energy only on growth and meat quality. They are 2 to 10 times larger than regular oysters, and are a breed with fast growth and excellent marketability.

The city explained that it recently conducted the fourth monitoring of triploid oysters stocked in the waters of Jangjado Island, Okdo-myeon in early July, and confirmed a very stable growth condition.

In particular, oyster seeds, which were about 1cm at the time of planting, grew to about 8cm, and their weight also increased from about 1g to about 50g, showing notable growth.

In general, during the summer spawning season, the consumption of oysters is limited due to the consumption of body energy, poor meat quality, and the risk of shellfish toxins and bacterial growth.

Triploid oysters do not have the ability to reproduce, so they focus all of their energy for spawning on growth, maintaining firm meat even in the summer, and are relatively safe from the risk of food poisoning and shellfish toxins.

In addition, triploid oysters are a high-end food ingredient that are sold at prices ranging from 20 to 30 percent higher than regular oysters in overseas markets, including Europe, at prices that are up to several times higher.

When this pilot farming is completed next month, the city plans to distribute triploid oysters, which are up to three times larger, to fishing sites in the future and foster them as a new high-income, fruitful breed for fishermen.

Lee Seong-won, head of the city's fisheries policy department, said, "We will strive to establish triploid oysters as a major aquaculture variety through survival rate and growth analysis and economic feasibility review," and added, "We will continue to foster aquaculture varieties that respond to climate change through systematic research."