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Introduced
Species
For other Molluscs
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The above two types of oyster are found around the Marine Discovery
Centre. They are described below.
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- Ostrea angassi - Mud Oyster
- Picture: MDC
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- Habitat: Sheltered silt, sand; 1 - 30 m depth
- Distribution: WA to NSW and around Tasmania
- Maximum Size: Length to 180 mm
- Diet: Plankton (Filter feeders)
- Comments:
- This species used to be harvested in large
numbers, with the population crashing in the nineteenth century. The
mud oyster is now occasionally cultivated on shellfish farms.
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- Crassostrea gigas - Pacific Oyster
- Picture: MDC
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- Habitat: Sheltered rocky shores; low intertidal
- Distribution: NSW and eastern Tasmania, also widespread
overseas
- Maximum Size: Length to 250 mm
- Diet: Plankton (Filter feeders)
- Comments:
- This oyster has a flaky shell and was introduced
to Tasmania from Japan for aquaculture. It is now the second most
valuable bivalve in Australia after the tropical pearl oyster. This
species is also a pest along rocky shores where 'feral oysters'
(that have escaped from aquaculture farms) cover the rocks and trap
sediments.
- Click here for more
introduced species
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