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SEEDING
Once oysters are two- three years old and are healthy, they are able to undergo surgical implanting,
otherwise known as seeding. This is a very delicate operation and takes many years to perfect, as it
is designed to minimise stress on the oyster. It involves three stages:
1. Preparation of the graft:
Photo courtesy of Paspaley Pearls, Australia
A donor oyster is sacrifced in order to obtain a piece of mantle, needed so that the host oyster will accept the nucleus. The mantle is located on the outer section of the oyster and produces the nacre forming pearls. Before a graft is taken from the mantle, the oysters are starved for several days. This allows the oysters metabolism to slow down, therefore decreasing the risk of core rejection as well as making it easier to open the oyster.
2. Attaching the graft.
The oyster is opened with special wedges and pliers, and a scalpel slit is made in the soft tissue near the reproductive organ/ . A graft of living mantle, four-five millimetres square, of which is obtained from another oyster, is then inserted into the scalpel slit.
3. Inserting the core:
Photo courtesy of Paspaley Pearls, Australia
A core/nucleus, usually a sphere made of Mississippi mussel shell is placed in the scalpal slit and the oyster is then returned back to the water. The inserted core irritates the oyster, provoking it to gradually coat the core with thin layers of mother of pearl nacre. After some time, the oysters are collected, and x-rayed to see whether the implants have been accepted. Oysters which have rejected the implant are returned to the water and are once again operated on the following year.
The seeder must be extremely careful not to harm the tiny pea-crab which lives unharmed within
every healthy oyster. It is presumed that the crab assists the oyster by keeping it clean and by
sharing the debris which the oyster sucks in.
