Off-bottom rearing of Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) at three sites in Puget Sound, Washington. marine metagenome

Olympia oysters were once part of the thriving shellfish industry in Puget Sound, Washington, but were replaced by the larger and faster growing Pacific oyster. Olympia oysters are smaller, grow slowly and are more sensitive to temperature fluctuations. However, in the face of changing ocean conditions, there is a growing interest in diversifying oyster culture, as Olympia oysters are more resilient to ocean acidification compared to Pacific oysters. If so, more information on how to raise them is needed, and Olympia oyster culture methodologies need to be improved. Experiments were conducted to compare growth and survival among three grow out methods at four different oyster densities.