(TEST PROJECT - do not pledge)
Recovery of key habitats and species
European native oyster beds
Wild native oyster beds of Ostrea edulis are one of the most endangered marine habitats in Europe. In the UK wild native oyster populations have declined by over 95%. The loss of the wild native oysters is largely a result of historic overfishing with stock depletion being recorded as early as the first century AD.
Why are native oysters and native oyster beds important?
Oyster beds used to be an important structural and ecological component of Britain’s bays and estuaries and have fuelled waterside economies for centuries. The shellfish are known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ because they provide the foundation for entire ecosystems – filtering water and providing vital food and habitat for coastal wildlife.
What will your funding do?
• Continue to work towards achieving the Blackwater, Roach, Crouch and Colne MCZ nature conservation objectives to recover native oysters and native oyster beds
• Fund the relaying cultch in the Blackwater, Essex (2023-2025).
• Create a hydrodynamic model to underpin future habitat recovery sites in the estuaries
• Continue to pilot producing ‘spat on shell’ to support restoration efforts working
with the oyster mariculture industry on the Crouch