Estimation du stock d'huîtres creuses Crassostrea gigas, en élevage en Baie de Cancale, en octobre 2002

in order to estimate the carrying capacity of Mont Saint-Michel Bay, the stock (or biomass) of cupped oysters, Crassostrea gigas, cultivated intertidally, in Cancale Bay, has been estimated in october 2002. Aerial photographs, at 2 scales (1/10 000 and 1/2000), provided by the mollusc farmers union, have been used to estimate the cumulative length of surelevaged trestles (« tables ») and the occupation rate by oyster bags. A field survey, between the 7th and 9th of october 2002, has been conducted by Ifremer with the help of « Lycée Maritime de Saint-Malo », on 40 sampled stations : 3 subsample bags per station were examined (counts and weights of different age-class oysters). 309 ha out of 333 leased ha were considered exploited (after elimination of unoccupied concessions). The number of surelevated places par ha was estimated to 4567, occupied at a rate of 77%, which leads to 3500 effective oyster bags per ha. All sizes together, a mean bag contains 245 oysters, and weighs 8.8 kg. The oyster biomass in october would so approximate 9500 tons (more or less 20%). From this stock, about 4700 tons of oysters exceed 50g mean weight. These estimations of oyster stock in october 2002, are rather unprecise, due to the unsufficient quality of photographs and access difficulties to muddy oyster parks. They have been completed by direct inquiry about 10 oyster farmers, in autumn 2003.