Carrying Capacity for Pinctada maxima (Jameson 1901) Farming in Sathean Bay, Southeast Maluku Based on Nitrogen and Phosphate Balance

Sathean Bay is a small, semi-enclosed waters which have been utilized as an area for pearl oyster farming using floating long line method. The growth of pearl oysters are affected by the availability of food (phytoplankton) in the waters. The phytoplankton own self is highly affected by N and P in the waters. This study aims to assess the carrying capacity of the Sathean Bay for pearl oysters farming for three different size group pearl oyster based on the nutrient balance which was the ratio between N and P are available in the waters and in the pearl oyster tissue. The study was conducted from April to September 2016 in nine sampling sites of Sathean Bay, Southeast Maluku. The result showed the smallest group size of pearl oyster(5 ± 2 cm) had the highest carrying capacity among the other two size group (13 ± 2 cm, 18 ± 2 cm). The carrying capacity of pearl oyster based nitrogen level(DIN) in the waters was always greater than the carrying capacity based on DIP level for all size groups of pearl oyster.