The Tuamotu archipelago, in the southern Pacific Ocean, is a French Polynesian  group of 76 islands and atolls. Takapoto is one of these atolls. It is about an hour's flight from Tahiti. Tuamotu means in Tahitian «offshore island», the archipelago beeing in the East of Tahiti. The people are the Paumotu, a word which also designs their language. 

On 1 November 2017, an HFNI valvometer equiped with 16 black-lip pearl oysters (Pinctada margaritifera) was set in the south of the lagoon, on a DRMM concession, Direction des Ressources Marines et Minières. The project is receiving grant support from the DRMM.

The aim is to set a water-quality monitoring system for the atolls. One must be able to follow online from any computer, remotely and 24/7, potential changes of bivalve behavior which means, if all bivalve behaviors change, changes of water quality. The global idea is that the welfare of the recorded oysters, is a witness of the other oyster welfare and an exceptional witness of the lagoon water quality

 A group of 16 oysters has been set in a cage on the sea bottom, in 16 m of water. They are equipped of electrodes with 1 m flexible cable glued on to each half shell. A minute electromagnetic current is generated between the electrodes allowing measurement of the amount of valve movements. The sampling rate is 10 per second. It allows to characterize multiple physiological traits such as the time of spawning, diverse biological rhythms and growth rates (click here to learn more). The data are transferred daily to Arcachon, France, via a MolluSCAN buoy on the surface. The latter has been developed specifically for lagoon applications.

The data will be used to shape policies for better surveillance and prevention of lagoon health risks associated with oyster farming. It should help to improve strategies of reproduction management and collecting of pearl oysters. Finally, it should help to advance a mutual objective for better management of global oyster stocks and the development of the pearl oyster business