Larvae

Oyster larvae grown at Seed to Shuck’s hatchery are used to produce our spat on shell for restoration planting. They are also sold to others who are growing spat for planting or seed for half shell consumption.

Our Eastern Oyster larvae production uses broodstock that is conditioned in waters carefully monitored for temperature and salinity. Our broodstock comes from oysters grown at leases on the Honga River near Hoopers Island or it originates from broodstock selectively grown at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS).

During the strip spawning process, we shuck conditioned broodstock oysters and surgically remove their gamates with a scalpel. Under a microscope, we separate the eggs and sperm. 

The eggs are added to a bucket of water where they are hydrated before the sperm is introduced. Fertilization occurs within minutes and during the next 24 hours cell division happens through a natural breeding process.

Fertilized eggs – up to 115 million – are introduced to our giant rearing tanks inside the hatchery. Voracious eaters, the larvae are fed algae many times a day. An eye-spot will develop on the larvae in two to three weeks – a sign that they are ready to latch on to substrate. They are then moved outside to our spat on shell holding tanks or our upweller system for seed production at the nursery.

A look under the microscope

Please let us know if you are interested in purchasing larvae for your own spat on shell and seed production.