Project Results

It is hoped that local oyster farmers/harvesters will be able to use this field guide to correctly identify wild oysters and make informed decisions on sustainably harvests and/or conservation of wild populations. This work may also be used as an educational resource to support students and other interested parties.

About This Project

Edible oysters are a traditional food item in coastal communities in Fiji. Despite this, little is known about the edible oyster species present in the country, their taxonomy, indigenous traditional knowledge and their aquaculture potential for coastal communities. This study attempts to address key biological knowledge gaps to inform sustainable aquaculture and wild fishery management efforts for building climate-resilient coastal communities in the Rewa Delta, Fiji.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Development of edible rock oyster aquaculture holds great promise for promoting indigenous livelihoods and income generation in Fiji, where this resource has been traditionally gleaned over hundreds of years. Oyster aquaculture do not require feeding or energy-intensive interventions, fit well into traditional indigenous coastal community activities and act as keystone species that naturally filter and purify their environment. A major bottleneck in increasing potential of rock oyster culture in Fiji is the availability of species-specific data which inherently prevents the development of this fishery.

What is the significance of this project?

It is hoped that through the identification of the species present in Fiji, species-specific methods can be developed and also adapted for growing other related oyster species. An additional output would be the development of a field identification guide so that local farmers are able to correctly identify wild oysters and make the informed decision to either sustainably harvest and/or conserve wild populations. Overall, addressing the biological knowledge gaps highlighted here on oyster taxonomy has the potential to have a positive long-term impact on the environment and the indigenous coastal communities in Fiji where these bivalves are a critical resource.

What are the goals of the project?

Using samples collected from one of Fiji’s largest estuarine environments, the Rewa Delta, the project aims to address three key objectives. The first is identification of the edible rock oyster specie(s) using molecular barcoding techniques. An evaluation of the aquaculture potential of these oysters will be done via determination of key species characteristics (i.e. seasonal recruitment patterns, genetics, morphology, ecological requirements). Upon identification of species, a field guide based on shell morphology, meristical characteristics and molecular barcoding will be developed. The field guide will incorporate traditional knowledge (i.e. local names, local seasonal cycles, etc) for assisting local farmers.