(NLDO) - Many people say that tourists who come to Con Co Island but have not enjoyed giant sawtooth oysters have not been to this place.
Sawtooth oyster ( scientific name is Hyotissa hyotis (Linnaeus, 1758) is a mollusk belonging to the bivalve mollusk class. This species has a very large body size, meat rich in nutrients, in which the protein content in the muscle accounts for 67.8% - 89.6%.
In Quang Tri province, sawtooth oysters were recorded to be distributed in Con Co island area and the reef area about 2 nautical miles from shore in Vinh Thai commune, Vinh Linh district.
The reason they are called giant sawtooth oysters is because their mouths are like sawtooth teeth, each one can weigh over 3 kg, and their life cycle can last up to several decades. Sawtooth oysters are currently a popular food, an indispensable dish for tourists when visiting the outpost island of Con Co.
On Con Co Island, the season for harvesting sawtooth oysters is from March to September every year. Sawtooth oysters are usually harvested by hand or using tools such as small hammers, crowbars, and diving knives. Oysters are harvested mainly to serve the culinary needs of Con Co Island, a small number are transported to the mainland for consumption as gifts.
Close-up of saw-tooth oysters on the seabed of Con Co
Since 2017, sawtooth oysters on Con Co Island and neighboring areas have been exploited a lot to serve tourists coming to the island. Currently, each sawtooth oyster is exploited by fishermen and sold to restaurants on the island at a price ranging from 25,000 - 45,000 VND/raw oyster. After processing, restaurants sell to tourists at a price of 70,000 - 100,000 VND/oyster. Sawtooth oysters can be processed into many delicious dishes such as grilled, steamed, porridge...
Recently, Master Tran Khuong Canh, Deputy Director of the Management Board of Con Co Marine Protected Area (MPA), and his colleagues conducted a research project to evaluate the current exploitation and distribution status of saw-tooth oysters in Con Co MPA. The research results recorded that the density of saw-tooth oysters distributed in this sea area is quite high, averaging 0.13 individuals/m2, the number of individuals tends to increase with depth. It is estimated that the reserve of saw-tooth oysters with shell lengths of 5cm or more distributed in the functional sub-zones of Con Co MPA at the time of July 2023 is about 5 million.
Currently, the increasing demand for sawtooth oysters has put increasing pressure on exploitation of this species in Con Co Nature Reserve. Developing solutions for sustainable management and exploitation of sawtooth oysters in this area is an urgent issue.
Cruise ship takes visitors to Con Co Island
Con Co Marine Protected Area is considered one of the areas with high biodiversity. To date, studies have recorded 954 marine species, including 133 species of phytoplankton, 97 species of zooplankton, 136 species of coral, 182 species of coral reef fish, 302 species of benthic animals, 96 species of seaweed, 1 species of seagrass and 6 species of mangrove plants.
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