Abstract
A relatively small population of Magallana gigas was discovered near the Agigea harbor (Constanța, Romania) in 2017. The DNA barcoding method was used to confirm the morphological identification of the species. We consider this colony to be the first instance of a possibly stable Pacific oyster population in the Black Sea, outside of farming activities. The possible impact on native ecosystems is briefly discussed.
Highlights
The Pacific oyster, Magallana (Crassostrea) gigas (Thunberg, 1793), is a highly appreciated shellfish species
Live isolated specimens have been found in the Romanian Black Sea waters since 2003 (Micu 2004), some of them fixed on the rocky substrate near Constanța (Skolka and Gomoiu 2004)
Most of the analyzed oysters presented a roundish shell with extensive fluting, similar to M. gigas individuals described from hard substrata (Lucas 1982, Zenethos et al 2003), and only a few young individuals presented an elongated shell
Summary
The Pacific oyster, Magallana (Crassostrea) gigas (Thunberg, 1793), is a highly appreciated shellfish species. Between 2001 and 2003, intensive off-shore procedures were carried out for the introduction and establishment of the species in the Black Sea for farming purposes (Zaharia and Crivăţ 2017). Live isolated specimens have been found in the Romanian Black Sea waters since 2003 (Micu 2004), some of them fixed on the rocky substrate near Constanța (Skolka and Gomoiu 2004). After winter storms, fresh shells of Pacific oyster can frequently be seen on the beaches near Constanța, as was the case in the 2003–2004 winter when valves of 1–8 cm in length were found (Skolka and Gomoiu 2004)
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