Oyster exports opportunity to bring revenues
The production of Babylon Spiral oysters has provided a good opportunity for bringing in foreign exchange for Iran; this has made researchers of the fishery industry conduct related studies and identify target markets, said Mastoureh Doustdar, the member of the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences.
Babylon Spiral oyster is a type of valuable species in the country. The species is considered a kind of oyster which can make money for the country, as it can be sold in global markets for about four to five dollars per kilogram, according to Mehr news agency.
Babylon oyster is not considered a halal aquatic species to eat, but Makran beach in Sistan and Baluchestan (a southeastern province of Iran) has a high capacity to produce the species, which can draw attention.
Approximately 10% of fishing in the southern waters of the country, equal to 60,000 tons, consist of religiously non-edible species. Religiously non-edible aquatics comprise more than 10 species and are classified into five groups of fish including crustaceans, Mollusca, echinoderms and other kinds of aquatics.
The financial turnover of aquatics reaches over $100 million per year, which has been a significant growth promoted over the past 20 years.
Catching Babylon Spiral oyster is estimated at 650 tons to 750 tons annually in Sistan and Baluchistan waters, which enables the country to export the products and have a substantial income from it.
The feasibility study of reproduction and feeding of the Babylon Spiral oyster has been carried out by the country’s researchers in the Chabahar region for the first time over the past few years.
Iran is to set up farms to culture Babylon oyster in the south of the country.
Babylon Spiral is one of the important commercial oyster species in the world.
The ecological basis of the habitats of this mollusk in the coastal waters and in the areas of the continental plateau is a significant help to fishermen and operators.
Therefore, to identify the ecological characteristics of the Babylon Sea snail habitat in the northern waters of the Sea of Oman, water sampling was done by researchers to determine temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, turbidity, and sediment, the total organic matter and the type of substrate, Babylon species.
The results revealed that nutrients play an important role in the density of Babylon in this region. With the increase of nutrients, the density of Babylon increases with a sharp peak and reaches a maximum in October and November; after that, with a decrease in food, there is a decrease in the density of Babylon oysters.