Pacific Oyster

Crassostrea gigas

The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, is a cupped oyster native to the northwest Pacific and now one of the most widely farmed shellfish in the world. It has an irregular layered shell, filters plankton and organic particles from seawater, and can grow in dense beds or cultured gear. Its growth rate, tolerance of varied conditions, and usefulness in hatchery production made it central to modern oyster farming, though it can also spread beyond farms in some regions.

Farmers manage Pacific oysters from hatchery larvae and spat through nursery systems, bags, racks, trays, bottom culture, or suspended gear. Practical decisions depend on tides, salinity, temperature, fouling, predators, disease, and local food-safety rules. Triploid seed may be used where growers want faster growth or reduced summer spawning. Conservation and permitting work can be complex because oysters provide filtration and habitat benefits in some settings while also requiring care where non-native establishment may affect shorelines or native shellfish.