Life Cycle and Reproduction

http://science.kennesaw.edu

“Oyster Life Cycle Illustration”
Image by John Norton http://science-art.com
Each type of oyster has a varying type of life cycle and needs to spawn and be healthy. For example, The Olympia and the Pacific oyster which are grown in the same area but have different cycles. To learn about this oyster individuality, lets walk through the stages of our native Olympia Oyster, shall we?

It takes approximately 1 year for the oyster to reach sexual maturity. They have gonads that hold sperm and eggs. During spawning which occurs when the water temperature rises to around 13-16 degrees celsius, they shoot out 250,000 eggs into the water. Fertilization occurs internally through sperm being sucked into Oysters with water intake. After around 10 days Larvae are birthed and free flowing swimming in the ocean. The next growing stages is developing a foot and is ready to attach to the underside of an oyster (since they are cliquey) or another hard surface. It takes up to 4 years or more for they oyster shell to grow and develop fully which is about 6-10 cm. The little Olympia tolerates temperatures from freezing to 20 degrees celsius and a little above. They are Subtidal creatures which means they must always be fully submerged under water of a depth from 0-71 m. Ideal salinity is 20-35 ppt.

Written by: Nikola Carouso