Oyster and Mussels in Western Visayas
By Giselle PB. Samonte
Research should focus on increasing production and preventing red tides.
The slipper oyster (talaba) and the green mussel (tahong) are the only mollusk species being farmed in the Philippines.
The Western Visayas region in the central Philippines is one of the major sources of oysters and mussels, which are farmed for their meat. Production is mainly for the domestic market.
The need of the people in the region to augment their income from fishing has led to the proliferation of oyster and mussel farms.
The farms started operations as early as the 1950s. There are today an estimated 2,000 coastal families in the region which are engaged in the mollusk farming. Oysters are farmed along rivers using the bottom, stake, rack-hanging and raft-hanging methods.
In the bottom method, oyster shells or large stones are scattered on the sea bottom for oyster spat fall.
In the stake method, whole or halved bamboo poles are used as substrates for oysters.