"Beyond Seaweed Farming: Gunsan Confirms Potential for Triploid Oyster Aquaculture"

Fast Growth as a Key Advantage… High Value-Added Potential Anticipated
Establishing a Gunsan-Style Aquaculture Model After Verifying Economic Feasibility

The city of Gunsan in North Jeolla Province has seen a promising start to its ongoing trial aquaculture project for triploid oysters, as part of efforts to address climate change. Oyster seed introduced into the waters off Jangjado Island has grown more than twofold in just one month, demonstrating the potential of triploid oysters as a new high value-added aquaculture species.

Triploid oyster seed. Provided by Gunsan City Hall

According to Gunsan City Hall on July 28, the city conducted its first on-site monitoring on July 27, targeting 30,000 triploid oyster seeds in the waters off Jangjado, Okdo-myeon. The results found that the oysters had adapted stably to the aquaculture environment and maintained healthy growth conditions.

This investigation represents the first field inspection for the new shellfish breeding research and development project, a collaborative initiative between Gunsan City and the West Sea headquarters of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency. Participation from Korea Institute of Ecology, Inc. and a specialized diving company enabled checks on both the culture facility conditions and the oysters' growth status.

The survey showed that the average shell length of the oyster seeds, which was around 1 cm at the time of introduction, reached an average of 2.5 cm after about one month. The initial growth rate was described as exceeding expectations.

Triploid oysters, unlike ordinary oysters, dedicate much of the energy usually spent on reproduction to growth. Their rapid growth rate and relatively less quality degradation even during the spawning season have led to growing attention both domestically and internationally as a high value-added aquaculture species.

Recognizing that the traditional seaweed-centered industry structure alone can no longer guarantee a stable production base due to climate change, including rising sea temperatures, Gunsan City has allocated 100 million won this year to launch the new shellfish breeding research and development project.

Gunsan City plans to continue conducting regular on-site surveys, analyzing changes in marine environment factors such as water temperature and salinity, as well as monitoring growth rates, survival rates, and the condition factor of the oysters to verify the project's economic feasibility and business potential. The accumulated research findings will be used to establish shellfish aquaculture models tailored to the local waters, develop new aquaculture species to address climate change, and diversify the income sources of fishers.

Lee Sungwon, Fisheries Policy Chief of Gunsan City, commented, "During the first on-site monitoring, the triploid oysters showed stable adaptation to the waters off Jangjado and a faster-than-expected growth rate. Through systematic research and monitoring, we will validate the economic viability of the project and establish a new foundation for shellfish aquaculture that will supplement the current seaweed-centered industry structure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.