Results of the mother oyster culture and pearl production in Pinctada fucata (Gould) in the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay

It is established experimentally that the inshore areas of the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay bordering Mandapam Camp can profitably be used for mother oyster culture and cultured pearl production. The depth of the inshore waters of the Gulf of Mannar is comparatively deeper where the raft culture can be adopted from November to May. whereas, the nearshore waters of Palk Bay is shallow where rack can be used to farm the oysters from June to October, thus a continued farming is possible in all months in a calender year. Though the hydrological and environmental conditions of both the seas are almost same, it is found that Gulf of Mannar is better suited for mother oyster culture as indicated by the better growth rates of spat and oysters. If farming is done properly, high survival rates of spat, mother oysters and implanted oysters can be achieved with an enhanced rate of production of better quality cultured pearls