Unlike their wild cousins, oysters that are grown in a shell can be cultivated. Using the technique of aquaculture, oysters are grown in artificial lakes filled with salt water, which promotes growth. These lakes should have temperatures that are at least 15 degrees Celsius. As with any livestock farming operation, oyster farming involves several steps, including obtaining all the necessary permits. To begin, farmers should apply for a Board of Trade license and an Environmental and Health License.
In addition to providing a great tasting food, Irish Oysters can also be a lucrative business. Because they feed off of plankton in the water, oyster farms can contribute to the fight against climate change. Oyster farms also don’t require a lot of land or a large amount of water.
There are two basic methods of oyster farming: on-bottom and off-bottom culturing. On-bottom culturing involves growing oysters on the sea floor, while off-bottom culturing raises them in cages or rack and bag systems. This method is more environmentally-friendly, but there are risks and costs associated with it.
While some farms do a double harvest, others have multiple harvests. This means that they can plant oysters at different times throughout the year. These farmers then split the harvested oysters into more than one bag each year. The resulting harvests are sold to restaurants along the coast. Oysters do not come pre-stressed, so care must be taken to preserve the oysters.
Oyster farming requires several months of growth to reach market size once the oysters have reached the minimum size required. When a healthy oyster is allowed to grow to its full size, the process can take anywhere from eighteen to twenty-four months.
The fact that oyster farming is good for the environment and contributes to the maintenance of the natural ecology is the best aspect. For instance, oyster farms contribute to the formation of reefs, which in turn protects coastlines, provides a habitat for a variety of marine species, and enhances the quality of the water.
Oysters are organisms that filter the water by absorbing impurities that they find in it. They are capable of absorbing significant quantities of contaminants and may even be influenced by precipitation. To our good fortune, public authorities monitor the process of harvesting oysters and have the ability to halt the process in the event of a significant pollutant problem. However, this kind of incident will result in lost sales for the oyster growers, which would lose them money.
Oyster farming calls for the construction of a one-of-a-kind structure that facilitates the growth of oysters in salt water. Because of their delicate nature, the shells must be collected by hand with caution.
The Internet of Things (IoT) platform that Bosch built is now being used by oyster farmers, and a new type of oyster farming platform known as ProSyst has also been introduced. This platform is equipped with sensors that can measure salinity, temperature, and even pressure in the surrounding atmosphere. The data collected by these sensors can be sent to the farmers in real time via a mobile phone, laptop, or tablet computer if they are connected to one of these devices.