Development of oyster culture in Pulicat lake area - prospects and problems

Pulicat lake is bestowed with rich natural oyster beds. There has not been any concerted effort at culturing oysters on scientific lines, probably because of lack of sustained demand and lucrative regular remuneration. After a preliminary study of the oyster beds, a suitable location was selected for conducting experiments on oyster culture. Asbestos sheets were found to be by far the best cultch among the materials tried. Tray culture method proved to be appropriate for the area. The rate of production of oyster meat during the course of the study was 224.4 016 months10.75 m2 area. Incidental to the production of oysters, the trays were found to harbor a variety of fishes of prime quality adding to the production by 1.8 kg16 months 0.75 m2. This study points to the possibility of developing a system of oyster-cum-fish culture' as a profitable e proposition in the area. The suitability of the area for the venture is also discussed