In: Oysters ISBN 978-1-62100-518-6 Editor: Jian G. Qin, pp. 181-202 © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chapter 7 EXPLORING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SPAWNING MEDIATED RESPONSE AND SUMMER MORTALITY IN PACIFIC OYSTER CRASSOSTREA GIGAS Yan Li 1 , Kirsten Benkendorff 2  , Jian G. Qin 3 , and Xiaoxu Li 4 1 School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia 2 School of Environmental Sciences and Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480 Australia 3 School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia 4 South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Henley Beach, SA, Australia ABSTRACT Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, is one of the most important species for aquaculture and ecological indicators for environmental changes. However, mass summer mortality has become a widespread challenge to Pacific oyster aquaculture industry in recent decades. Due to  Corresponding author Email: kirsten.benkendorff@scu.edu.au.