Triploid oysters have been shown to have higher rates of survival and growth and generate higher meat yields than diploids. The most effective method of producing triploids requires access to proprietary tetraploid technology. With the committed support of 4Cs Breeding Technology, Inc., the company that sub-licenses this technology to commercial hatcheries, the proposed work will provide valuable and previously unavailable data on the field performance of triploid Eastern oysters in South Carolina waters, thereby informing future investments in this technology.
The project objectives aim to (1) develop naturally mated diploid (2n VA ♂ x 2n SC ♀) and triploid (4n VA ♂ x 2n SC ♀) Eastern oysters at the Island Fresh Seafood, Inc. hatchery in South Carolina, (2) investigate the comparative survival, growth and meat yields of diploid and triploid Eastern oysters deployed at field sites encompassing a range of estuarine areas, salinities and tidal regimes in South Carolina, (3) implement efficient spat removal by physical agitation (tumbling) to produce marketable single Eastern oysters and make valid comparisons of diploid and triploid survival and growth rates, and (4) apply the results of this study to an objective evaluation of the merits of developing tetraploid oyster technology in South Carolina at a commercially-viable scale.