Comparison of environmental conditions in two representative oyster farming areas: Hiroshima Bay, western Japan and Oginohama Bay (a branch of Ishinomaki Bay), northern Japan

Sea water environmental conditions over annual cycles were investigated and compared between two oyster farming areas, western Hiroshima Bay and Oginohama Bay (a branch of Ishinomaki Bay) in Miyagi Prefecture, to appropriately manage oyster culture or more efficiently utilize farming areas. The environmental parameters of temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations (NO2- N, NO3-N, NH4-N, PO4-P, and SiO2-Si) and size-fractionated chlorophyll-a (< 0.2, 2-20, > 20 mu m), and abundances of microzooplankton were measured in each bay at the surface, and 2 and 5 m depth layers. Differences in the annual mean values and results with monthly paired Student's t-tests showed that salinity was lower, and temperature, nutrient (especially PO4-P) and chlorophyll-a concentrations, and abundance of microzooplankton, were higher in Hiroshima Bay than in Oginohama Bay. Differences in environmental conditions between inshore and offshore areas of each bay suggest that inflows of river water in western Hiroshima Bay and sea water from offshore had the most significant effects on the environmental conditions. It is concluded that such oceanographic and biological differences strongly affect the oyster farming system, especially regarding the optimum usage of offshore areas in Summer under clean, cold and stable seawater conditions, rather than food quantity in Hiroshima Bay, and under more abundant food conditions in Oginohama Bay.