The Ecology of Crassostrea gigas in
Australia, New Zealand, France and Washington State

During the workshop, experts on oyster biology from four countries presented case histories on accidental and deliberate introductions of C. gigas into their ecosystems. Their presentations are summarized and appended to Synopsis of the Oyster Ecology Workshop: Crassostrea gigas.

• Introduced Pacific Oysters in Australia
  Peter Ayres
  
  
• Introduced Pacific Oysters in New Zealand
  Parameswar (Mani) Dinamani
  
  
• Aquaculture of Crassostrea gigas in France
  Philippe Goulletquer and Maurice Hèral
  
  
• Ecological and Biological Considerations for the
  Introduced Pacific Oyster to the West Coast of the United States
  Kenneth K. Chew
  
  

Biographical Notes

PETER AYRES was a senior scientist with the UK government Fisheries Department until 1982. In 1978 and 1980, he was seconded to provide advice on shellfish sanitation to Australian authorities and in 1982 took up a permanent appointment with the then NSW State Fisheries Department. Fisheries was integrated with the Department of Agriculture and Dr. Ayres became Chief of the Division of Fisheries until his resignation in 1987. He is now a self-employed consultant specializing in fisheries, environmental, and aquaculture matters. The Oyster Farmers Association of Australia made Dr. Ayres an honorary life member in recognition of his contribution to the industry.

KEN CHEW is Professor in the School of Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. He is also Director of the Administrative Center for The Western Regional Aquaculture Consortium, one of five USDA regional aquaculture centers in the U.S. His training and expertise is in shellfish biology and culture, but his familiarity with global aquaculture has led to his serving as a science advisor to many countries concerned with encouraging aquaculture and managing their fisheries. He and his graduate students have spent many years studying C. gigas in the Pacific Northwest.

PARAMESWAR DINAMANI is a retired malacologist who worked for the New Zealand government from 1969 to 1987. He was the Senior Scientist in the Aquaculture Section of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' Fisheries Research Division, and was responsible for the division's research related to oyster fanning. He reported on the occurrence of C. gigas in northern New Zealand and followed the course of the spread of the invader as it overwhelmed the native oyster resource.

PHILIPPE GOULLETQUER became an Assistant Research Scientist at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory of the University of Maryland System after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Western Brittany, France, in 1989. His dissertation research was in the field of aquaculture and fisheries, and he worked at France's National Laboratory for Mariculture Ecosystems from 1983 to 1989. He is familiar with the culture of C. gigas in France.