| Forty oyster spat collector bags were submerged at two different sites near Mahe island fofr a period between 3.2 and 11 months. Strong currents in the south-east monsoon period resulted in a few bags lying in the sand which was detrimental to spat settlement. The mean settlement rate was calculated at 15.6 oysters per bag, however 71_310= of the bags had more than 10 oysters per bag. Considering only those bags, the settlement averaged at 27 oysters per bag. The sizes of oysters in collector bags after different soaking times, indicate that growth rate in the first few months is higher than on French Polynesia. Growth rates of oysters maintained in a cage indicated an average increase of 21.7 mm in five months, between the size of 25.9 mm and 47.76 mm.... |
