Underwater observations on the settlement of spat Of pearl oyster on the Paars off Tuticorin

A pericdic underwater survey on the pearl bank during the three years from 1970 to 197Z has shown that it is inadvisable to depend totally on the wild oyster beds for colleotiion of s-jed for raising pearl-oyster farms on commercial basis. The spat fall on the paars is irregular and subject to great quantitative fluctuation. Increasing Modiolus settlement causes severe damage to the oyster bed from year to year. But, there exists a vast scope for collecting the sipat by means of artificial spat collectors