Spiny Rock Oyster

A 2019 study on the reproductive cycles of three populations of the oyster in the Northern territory showed that it is probably a dioecious species, occasionally functioning as hermaphrodites. A major finding was that the species spawns almost continuously during the wet season from October to April, while it rests for the rest of the year, during the dry season.

A 2019 study focused on four populations identified four genetic clusters: one in Noumea, two in NT, and one in Queensland. This species also occurs off Ambon Island, Indonesia.

Due to its large size, fast rate of growth and an already established potential market, the black-lip rock oyster is well-suited to the creation of an aquaculture industry in tropical Australia and the Indo-Pacific region. It has also been shown to withstand harsh weather better than other species, and it produces a greater quantity of meat. Much research has been done on breeding the oyster in hatcheries and on-site, in particular at locations in Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory (NT) and Queensland. In Bowen, Queensland, the only current Australian commercial farm of black-lip rock oysters has been operating for quite a few years now. This farm has been solely operating using wild spat collection techniques and mainly selling locally due to the high demand for the product. This, however, may soon change as researchers in the DAF Queensland's new Bribie Island Research Centre Oyster Hatchery have just produced over 500,000 spat, proving the possibility of hatchery stock for future commercial production. The Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is also running a three-year project worth A$4,124,090, set to finish on 30 September 2023 to conduct research on issues affecting the tropical rock oyster industry across WA and NT, hoping to develop a new aquaculture industry for the region which will create jobs for 500+ people. …