BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2015, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 312-318

Dynamics of density and distribution of larvae of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793) in Amursky and Ussuriisky bays, the Sea of Japan

© 2015

A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041

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The time of occurrence in the plankton, density, and distribution of pelagic larvae of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Amursky and Ussuriisky bays were studied in 2007 and 2008. The larvae were present in the plankton from May through September at a water temperature of 13 to 23°C. In both bays, the larval density was highest in July, in the period preceding the maximum warming of water, and it decreased 2-fold in August. The average density of Pacific oyster larvae was 475 indiv./m³ in 2007 and 400 indiv./m³ in 2008 in Amursky Bay and 275.0 and 7.5 indiv./m³, respectively, in Ussuriisky Bay. The distribution and abundance of C. gigas larvae in the investigated bays well agree with the literature data on the quantitative distribution of the adult oysters. The results are discussed in connection with the hydrology and physico-chemical characteristics of the bays.

Key words: Crassostrea gigas, larvae, density, distribution, Peter the Great Bay, hydrodynamics, temperature, salinity.