REMORA 93. Réseau de suivi de la croissance de l'huître creuse sur les côtes françaises

Since early 1993 the Aquaculture Resources department MOIlusc NEtwork (REMORA in French) has been monitoring homogeneous batches of Crassostrea gigas (initially 18 months old, same origin, same history, same size) in the main French production areas. The monitored parameters deal with growth, morphology, survival, composition and parasite infestations. The comparison between two rearing conditions (in traditional bags and on wooden plate to which individuals are stuck) shows a tendency for the oysters to become wider on plates (which is probably linked to the fact that there is no shell erosion) and to grow more (which could also been explained by the lower local density). Major regional characteristics are shown by the analysis, especially in terms of macroscopic composition, growth seasonality, morphology and mortality. Methodological improvements are proposed to allow to use REMORA data to develop global biomodelisations.