Tiostrea chilensis
Encyclopedia
Tiostrea chilensis, known in Chile
as Ostra chilena and in New Zealand
as the Bluff oyster, is a species of marine
bivalve mollusc in the family
Ostreidae
.
and New Zealand
.
There is also a self-sustaining population in the Menai Strait
which was accidentally introduced from the Fisheries Laboratory, Conwy, in 1965 or 1966 (sources disagree).
In New Zealand they are a prized delicacy, and harvested from March to August from the Foveaux Strait
oyster fishery based around the town of Bluff
(hence the local name). From the early 1980s the fishery went into serious decline, due to the outbreak of an oyster parasite Bonamia exitiosa, the disease killing an estimated billion oysters between 2000 and 2003. The population has been recovering since 2003, with fishermen voluntarily limiting the catch to half the allowable to aid the revival.
As of yet there is little evidence to support it and as such only seems coincidental.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
as Ostra chilena and in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
as the Bluff oyster, is a species of marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
bivalve mollusc in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Ostreidae
Ostreidae
Ostreidae are the true oysters, and include most species that are commonly eaten under the name oyster. Pearl oysters are not true oysters and belong to the distinct order Pterioida....
.
Distribution
Tiostrea chilensis is endemic to ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
There is also a self-sustaining population in the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
which was accidentally introduced from the Fisheries Laboratory, Conwy, in 1965 or 1966 (sources disagree).
Commercial importance
Foveaux Strait
Foveaux Strait separates Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand's third largest island, from the South Island. Three large bays, Te Waewae Bay, Oreti Beach and Toetoes Bay, sweep along the strait's northern coast, which also hosts Bluff township and harbour. Across the strait lie the Solander...
oyster fishery based around the town of Bluff
Bluff, New Zealand
Bluff is a town and seaport in the Southland region, on the southern coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the southern-most town in New Zealand and, despite Slope Point being further to the south, is colloquially used to refer to the southern extremity of the country...
(hence the local name). From the early 1980s the fishery went into serious decline, due to the outbreak of an oyster parasite Bonamia exitiosa, the disease killing an estimated billion oysters between 2000 and 2003. The population has been recovering since 2003, with fishermen voluntarily limiting the catch to half the allowable to aid the revival.
Other
There is some speculation that with the change in river flows in Southland due to farming and especially power generation, this has amounted to lower flows of fresh water carrying limestone deposits into the Strait. This therefore is believed by some to have amounted to increase of susceptibility to Bonamia as well as lower growth rates for some seasons in the past.As of yet there is little evidence to support it and as such only seems coincidental.