General information about oysters

Classification

Fine Oyster = The weight of the meat is up to 10% of the weight of the whole oyster

Speciale Oyster = The weidht of the meat is more than 10% of the weight of the oyster

 

Species

Today, two oyster species dominate oyster production globally.

Crassostrea Gigas (Fines and Speciales)

Crassostrea Edulis (flat oysters like Belon)

 

History

Oysters have been consumed since Roman times, when they were a prized delicacy and traded across the empire. Romans even built aquaculture ponds to farm oysters. Over the centuries, European oyster consumption grew, with native Ostrea Edulis being the primary species.

In the mid 19th Century, Portuguese oysters (Crassostrea Angulata) were introduced in France and developed very quickly.

However, European oyster stocks were severely depleted in the 1920s and again in the 1960s due to overfishing and disease that decimated populations. As a result, the native European species became extinct.

To address the decline in oyster production, Crassostrea gigas (Pacific oyster) from Japan were introduced in Europe in the early 1960s. This species proved to be more resilient and adaptable to European waters, leading to its widespread farming across Europe.

 

Today, the Crassostrea Gigas or Pacific oysters dominate the global market for oyster production, largely replacing native oysters in many regions of the world.