From coastseafoods.com (where i get oysters from)
TRIPLOID OYSTERS
The "All-Season" Oyster
Triploid oysters have two important advantages over Diploid oysters during their life cycle. In the summer months when regular Diploid oysters are spawny, Triploid oysters remain firm, full and sweet. They maintain this quality during the fall, when Diploid oysters are spawned-out, watery, and reduced in mass.
Triploid oysters maintain their meat quality because they are essentially sterile and do not become spawny.
How Triploid Oysters Are Created
Triploid and Diploid Oysters
Oysters found in nature normally have two sets of chromosomes and are Diploid. During reproduction, the egg and sperm each contribute one set of chromosomes to produce the Diploid oyster. Triploid oysters at Coast Seafoods hatchery are produced at spawning by a process which causes the egg to contribute two sets of chromosomes and the sperm one set, resulting in a Triploid oyster.
Triploid oysters can occur naturally, although they comprise only a very small percentage of the natural catch population.
At Coast Seafoods, we use nature's method to create Triploid oysters. We use no chemicals at any stage of the Triploid oyster production, neither on the broodstock, nor on the eggs or larvae.
Growth Rate and Size
Substantial research on the growth rate of sibling Diploid and Triploid oysters has shown that Triploid oysters grow faster than Diploids. Any comparison between Diploid and Triploid oysters will vary seasonally, as well as with the age and size of the oyster. The greatest differences are noted when spawned out, watery Diploid oysters are compared with well-conditioned Triploid oysters. Diploid oysters which have spawned will lose as much as 64% of body weight.
