Abstract
This study aimed to reveal the effectiveness of Fe-eluting fertilizer in enhancing oyster growth. First, we conducted growth experiments of both the phytoplanktonic diatom Skeletonema costatum, and the attached benthic diatom Nitzchia pellucida, which are supposed to be consumed by oysters. Laboratory growth of the two species when fertilized was as good as when in the standard culture media. We then conducted field experiments focusing on growth enhancement of cultured oysters by applying fertilizer. Our results appeared to be reasonable in terms of oyster growth, but we could not conclude that the results were robust because of the small sampling size, which was inadequate for statistical evaluation.
