Occurrence of golden Portuguese Oysters (Crassostrea angulata) in farmed populations in Taiwan

Although selective breeding for shell colour has been established in oysters, the prevalence of golden oysters in wild or farmed populations remains poorly known. In the present study, we investigated the occurrence of the golden Portuguese Oyster, Crassostrea angulata (Lamarck, 1819), in aquaculture areas in Taiwan. Our results showed no significant difference in the proportion of golden oysters among the Taixi, Qigu, and Kinmen sites (one-way ANOVA, p > 0.05), with respective averages of 9.7 ± 5.2%, 9.5 ± 5.4%, and 8.4 ± 5.8%. The consistent presence of approximately 10% golden oysters across all three locations may be attributed to the year-round availability of oyster spat and the absence of site-specific selective pressures.