Triploid Oysters, Sweet Mussels Ready For Commercial Production

BESUT (Terengganu, Malaysia), March 17 (Bernama) -- The Marine Aquaculture Research Division plans to commercialise two types of shellfish, namely triploid oysters and sweet mussels that could be lucrative for aquaculture farmers. Marine Aquaculture Division director Hussin Mat Ali said the two species were produced through research and development (R&D) by the Pulau Sayak Marine Aquaculture Fry Technology Centre and a wildlife enterprise in Kedah state. He said the triploid oyster fry were raised at a private oyster farm in Kuala Trong, Taiping, Perak before being sold to potential aquaculture farmers at the farm price of between RM1.20 and RM1.80 each in June. The division is also planning to introduce sweet snails or Babylon snails in September to farmers for commercialisation, he told reporters at the Fish Fry Production and Research Centre in Tanjung Demong here today. A study on sweet snails started last year in collaboration with a private company and the species could be reared by farmers at a reasonable cost, he said, adding that the delicious snails which could fetch RM40 per kg were not found naturally in the peninsula and only available in Sabah waters. -- BERNAMA