The estimation of Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) parameters for Crassostrea gigas larvae Rico-Villa, Benjamin and Pouvreau, Stéphane Département de Physiologie Fonctionnelle des Organismes Marins, Station IFREMER

The major commercial marine bivalve in French aquaculture is the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. Traditionally, bivalve culture relies on juvenile collection from the natural environment but due to the high year-to-year variation in spatfall recruitment the spat production in hatcheries is increasing recently. In this context, a better understanding of the biology of C. gigas larvae is required suggesting that the larval stage is critical for hatchery management. The growth and the survival of oyster larvae is determined by complex interactions between larval physiology and environmental conditions. Among the variety of factors, temperature and food density are considered as primary environmental factors affecting the physiological processes of bivalve larvae.