In the 1960s, oyster culture in France was greatly perturbated by a mass mortality of cupped oyster caused by infection by the protozoan Marteilia sp. But oyster culture could be resumed by the timely help of export of spat from the port of Sanriku, northern Japan. After examination and identification of the pathogens, a large number of single-seed oysters were exported to France in the 1970s (Koganezawa 1984; Goto 2012).
On 11 March 2011, a huge tsunami surged against the coast of Sanriku and ravaged the fisheries and aquaculture installations included those for oyster culture.
After the disaster, with the solidarity to return assistance given in the past, the organizations of France decided to help reconstruct and reactivate the marine productivity in the coast of Sanriku. From several French cooperatives of oyster growers, equipment for oyster culture was sent to a Japanese cooperative, and from several research organizations, the contribution was sent to Japanese producers.
Independently to this contribution, in the framework of the long-term exchanges between the two “Sociétés franco-japonaises d’Océanographie” of France and of Japan, some scientifical and technological equipments such as microscopes and plankton nets were donated to Japanese research centers and fishery cooperatives.
Under the help of French colleagues, the oyster growers of Sanriku could restart the most important works, such as spat collection in the summer season, before the end of July to August in the same year as the disaster. In Miyagi Prefecture, about 75 % of oyster growers have restarted the oyster farming in the same region.
Keywords
- Oyster culture
- Spat
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Crassostrea angulata
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Crassostrea gigas
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Ostrea edulis
- Tsunami
- Restoration