Current trends in the seafood market indicate increased demand for within-shell oysters, associated with increasing popularity of oyster bars. As this specialized, demanding market increases globally, there is strong incentive to improve quality. In this context, the manipulation of oyster shell traits through aquaculture as a means of improving oyster quality is timely and promising in terms of marketing. Several oyster shell characteristics, most especially shape, measured as length (L), width (W) and depth (D), result from a combination of three factors: genetics, environmental condition to which the oyster is exposed and husbandry practices. Although breeding programmes have targeted several important commercial traits, selection for shell traits has not been widely performed. Additionally, accumulated knowledge of the effects of environmental conditions and farming methods on shell characteristics exists at a local level, but as such, it is not always validated with scientific data. The existing local knowledge and practices, however, are of extreme importance for the improvement and adaptation of the farming sector to market demands. Current knowledge about the genetic, environmental and husbandry effects on shell and related aquaculture practices for manipulation of shell appearance and robustness in commercially important oysters of the Genus Crassostrea is compiled here. As the topic has not been well documented in the academic field, information from scientific articles was complemented by technical reports and commercial sources. A combination of aquaculture practices is needed to produce oysters of acceptable shape, thickness, cleanliness and colour, although suitable shell characteristics may vary with different markets.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production across the globe. The expansion of the industry has brought about a diversity of approaches to mitigate social and ecological impacts associated with aquaculture production systems. At the same time, there is a growing interest in utilizing aquaculture for conservation purposes including species recovery, habitat restoration and offsetting the impacts of wild capture on vulnerable harvested species. The diversification of the aquaculture

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