Glossary
Aquaculture: the farming of aquatic organisms for human consumption
‘Blank’ oyster shell: aged oyster shells used to plant new spat and to build up the lease bottom so that spat do not sink into the muddy bottom
Bottom culture: growing oysters on bottom substrates in natural conditions rather than in cages or floats in the water column
Culch/cultch: material to furnish points of attachment for spat
Culchless/cultchless: individual oysters grown for half-shell market rather than restoration and/or shuck market purposes
Diploid: organism with two sets of chromosomes
Downweller: a tank with a downward flow of water, used for setting individual oysters on microculch (for half-shell market)
Dredge: a heavy iron frame with strong teeth along its lower lip and a bag of strong cord traditionally used to harvest oysters
Hand Tongs: a pair of wooden shafts 12 to 20 feet long bearing opposing baskets shaped like rakes used traditionally for gathering oysters
Hatchery: a facility where larvae and juvenile oysters are produced, oysters are spawned and eggs are fertilized under artificial conditions
Half-shell market: select oysters cultured and prepared for individual sale
Keystone Species: A species so critical to an ecosystem that its removal could potentially destroy the entire system.
Larvae: the recently-hatched, swimming form of oysters, oysters are larvae during the first 2-3 weeks of life
Lease bottom: an area of water leased from the State and used to plant oysters
Microculch: small pieces of cultch (i.e. ground oyster shells)
Nursery: the area where young oyster spat/seed will grow out to a larger but still juvenile size, typically about 1 inch
Plant: the act of putting spat-on shell on lease bottom, or putting oyster seed in cages to grow to market size
Seed: (see Spat) individual immature oysters, typically set on microcultch, usually ranging from 2mm to 1 inch
Set: the act of introducing swimming larvae to cultch so they ‘glue’themselves to cultch and metamorphose into spat
Shuck-market: oysters suitable for being sold in shucked form, typically less aesthetically pleasant than half-shell market oysters
Spat: immature oyster(s), an oyster is usually referred to as a spat during its first year of growth
Spat-on-shell (or spat-on-culch): young oysters residing on oyster shells, used primarily for restoration projects and for shuck-market
Strike: the transitional phase when swimming larvae ‘glue’ themselves to cultch and metamorphose into spat
Triploid: organism with three sets of chromosomes, triploid oysters maintain consistent meat quality year round
Upweller: a tank with an upward flow of water, used during the early growth stages of juvenile oyster seed
Water Column: a column of water typically including the bottom, leased from the State used to grow oysters in cages or floats
Weller: container placed in a downweller or upweller to hold microculch and oyster seed
Wild: non-farmed natural oyster stock, containing genes more characteristic of naturally occurring oyster populations
Aquaculture: the farming of aquatic organisms for human consumption
‘Blank’ oyster shell: aged oyster shells used to plant new spat and to build up the lease bottom so that spat do not sink into the muddy bottom
Bottom culture: growing oysters on bottom substrates in natural conditions rather than in cages or floats in the water column
Culch/cultch: material to furnish points of attachment for spat
Culchless/cultchless: individual oysters grown for half-shell market rather than restoration and/or shuck market purposes
Diploid: organism with two sets of chromosomes
Downweller: a tank with a downward flow of water, used for setting individual oysters on microculch (for half-shell market)
Dredge: a heavy iron frame with strong teeth along its lower lip and a bag of strong cord traditionally used to harvest oysters
Hand Tongs: a pair of wooden shafts 12 to 20 feet long bearing opposing baskets shaped like rakes used traditionally for gathering oysters
Hatchery: a facility where larvae and juvenile oysters are produced, oysters are spawned and eggs are fertilized under artificial conditions
Half-shell market: select oysters cultured and prepared for individual sale
Keystone Species: A species so critical to an ecosystem that its removal could potentially destroy the entire system.
Larvae: the recently-hatched, swimming form of oysters, oysters are larvae during the first 2-3 weeks of life
Lease bottom: an area of water leased from the State and used to plant oysters
Microculch: small pieces of cultch (i.e. ground oyster shells)
Nursery: the area where young oyster spat/seed will grow out to a larger but still juvenile size, typically about 1 inch
Plant: the act of putting spat-on shell on lease bottom, or putting oyster seed in cages to grow to market size
Seed: (see Spat) individual immature oysters, typically set on microcultch, usually ranging from 2mm to 1 inch
Set: the act of introducing swimming larvae to cultch so they ‘glue’themselves to cultch and metamorphose into spat
Shuck-market: oysters suitable for being sold in shucked form, typically less aesthetically pleasant than half-shell market oysters
Spat: immature oyster(s), an oyster is usually referred to as a spat during its first year of growth
Spat-on-shell (or spat-on-culch): young oysters residing on oyster shells, used primarily for restoration projects and for shuck-market
Strike: the transitional phase when swimming larvae ‘glue’ themselves to cultch and metamorphose into spat
Triploid: organism with three sets of chromosomes, triploid oysters maintain consistent meat quality year round
Upweller: a tank with an upward flow of water, used during the early growth stages of juvenile oyster seed
Water Column: a column of water typically including the bottom, leased from the State used to grow oysters in cages or floats
Weller: container placed in a downweller or upweller to hold microculch and oyster seed
Wild: non-farmed natural oyster stock, containing genes more characteristic of naturally occurring oyster populations