Over the past decade, our hatchery team has been working hard to build the future of the Canadian oyster industry. From the get-go, we knew that operating an oyster hatchery presented not only a means of providing a supply of seed, but also an unprecedented opportunity to responsibly breed our oysters for improved performance. 

Over the last 3 generations of breeding, the hatchery team at Mallet Oysters has cross-bred oysters from throughout New Brunswick, and measured over 90,000 individuals for the traits that matter to both growers and consumers. Only the oysters that are superior in every way at our two field sites are selected as broodstock for the following generation, while carefully constructing crosses to minimize inbreeding. This has meant the construction of a dedicated research area within our hatchery, to house our breeding lines and ensure that our breeding program has sufficient scale to be viable in the long term. 

We have also been involved in creating a screening tool which is capable of scanning over 100,000 locations in the oyster genome simultaneously. With the most up-to-date breeding tools, we can now peer into the oyster’s genetic makeup in order to make better-informed breeding decisions. With this array we have shown that oysters from our selection lines have not lost significant genetic variability compared to their wild counterparts.

This colossal R&D work is now bearing fruit. Results in the field so far have been very encouraging, to the point where we are happy to now make our premium seed available for sale in 2023. In our field trials, selectively bred oysters have shown superior growth, shape, shell, and characteristics compared to our standard hatchery lines. This summer, we recorded our largest size ever for a cohort after one field season! We think that growers will experience better performance with our premium seed, which will only continue to improve through time.

The oyster industry in the Maritimes has tremendous potential, and we believe that our selectively-bred oysters will be a key part of our future success.

Breeding Better Oysters - Project Page

Breeding Better Oysters - Project Video