Pests and predators of oysters

Abstract

In all aquaculture practices the detrimental effects of cohabiting organisms are either by predation, competition, disease or parasitism. Hanson (1974) stated that limited predation can serve to weed out some diseased members of a crop and also help in controlling epizootic infections. But large-scale mortalities result in economic loss by reduction in the tended stock. Control of predation also means additional expense on the production cost (Mackenzie, 1970a). While evolving culture methods for fish or shellfish, identifying and proper use of methods to prevent and control numerous predators of cultivable organisms is absolutely essential to maximise production.