CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Most countries in the world have had a relatively long tradition of oyster culture. In the

past, oysters were traditionally consumed from wild stocks harvested by local fishermen who

inhabited regions where oysters were naturally found. (Samonte et al., 1992). Tropical and sub-

tropical oysters from the genus Crassostrea which are also generally known as the mangrove

oysters are the largest species often measuring up to 10 cm or more at market size and are of

commercial value. Of these, C. iredalei is widespread in the South-East Asian region (Quayle

and Newkirk, 1989) and has been reported to occur in tidal rivers, channels, gulfs and land-

locked bays in the Philippines (Rosell, 1992). Wherein, c. iredalei is well-known in the

Philippines and has been exported to other countries that contributes into the country’s economy.

The life of an oyster begins as cued by the change in temperature. When water temperatures

change from cold to warm, this change triggers males to release sperm which in turn triggers

females to release eggs. Fertilized eggs will float in the water column for ~24 hours and hatch

into swimming larvae. The larvae are microscopic and will swim for approximately two weeks

until they develop a foot and begin to crawl, searching for a location to set. Once an oyster sets

in a location, it cannot move, so finding an ideal location is vital (National Institute of Food and

Agriculture 2019). The oyster farmers notes into these indications and begins to gather materials

to collect oyster spat such as bamboo.

Oyster farmers usually uses bamboo stick, a tradition material, to practice stake method

wherein these are simply stuck in the oyster bed which serve as spat settlement. As inflation is

affecting daily lives (Kimberly Amadeo, 2022) , everything is getting costly. With this, bamboo

that oyster farmers uses gradually becoming expensive. In the present, bamboo costs P50-200
depending on its size and length. Based on International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (2004)

millions of people rely on bamboo for food, furniture, and construction material. Bamboo was

close to extinction in natural forests due to agriculture-related deforestation and forest

degradation (Pilcher, 2004). Therefore, it is significant to come up another alternative materials

in collecting oyster spat that is cheap and easy to utilize. For instance, recyclable materials can

be use.

Recyclable materials are material that has been recovered or diverted from the non-

hazardous solid waste stream for purpose of reuse, recycling or reclamation and a substantial

portion of which is consistently used in the manufacture of products, which may otherwise be

produced using raw or virgin materials. Based on a study conducted by Lebata-Ramos, et al.

(2022) and R.C. Silveira (2011) , oyster spat prefers settlement in rough surfaces. PET bottles,

coconut husk, coconut shell, and rubber tire are most likely possess this characteristics.

The researchers conducted this study to determine the effects of different recycled

materials to collect oyster(Crassostrea iredalei) spat. This is to promote the different recycled

materials as an alternative way to collect oyster spat as it is known to be cheaper and easy to

acquire. Utilizing recycled materials for oyster spat collection helps our environment with more

filter feeders as oysters feed by pumping water through their gills, trapping particles of food as

well as nutrients, suspended sediments and other contaminants. In doing so, oysters help keep the

water clean and clear for underwater grasses and other aquatic life (Whorton, 2011) that

maintains the balance of ecosystem as oysters are known as the backbone of the ecosystem

(Tobin, 2020) and to minimize the expense of farmers in oyster production as traditional

methods are getting expensive.