The mangrove oyster Saccostrea palmula is an option for artisanal aquaculture development in the Mexican Central Pacific

The mangrove oyster Saccostrea palmula is a relatively small but emerging species in aquaculture, and it is necessary to resume and increase studies on its cultivation. Therefore, we carried out a study that includes three main components for developing S. palmula culture in the Mexican Central Pacific: spat collection, pre-growth phase (eight weeks), and grow-out phase (six months). We tested natural (shell strings) and artificial (coupelles) collectors placed in contrasting environmental conditions: marine (La Boquita) and estuarine (Cuyutlan). The spat was pre-grown in suspended Australian trays at the two collection sites and under in-land pond conditions. Then, it was pooled under an estuarine environment and in a single lot for the final culture phase in Juluapan lagoon (all sites in Colima, Mexico). Spat collection was higher in coupelles (858.3 ± 175.6 spat coupelle-1) than in shell strings. The number of spat collected (13,062 spat), final pre-growth size (26.5 ± 0.6 mm shell height), and pre-growth survival (94.7%) were higher in La Boquita (marine environment). The final culture phase in Juluapan (estuarine conditions) was successful, recording an average height of 54.2 ± 4.9 mm and average total weight of 30.8 ± 6.9 g after six months of culture, after spat collection and pre-growth periods. We found the largest oyster, S. palmula, ever recorded (shell height 83.3 mm and total weight 59.4 g), and we confirmed that S. palmula has potential for artisanal aquaculture and socioeconomic regional development in the Mexican Central Pacific.