Populations of native oyster in Europe are at fewer than 5 per cent of historic levels. This is due to overharvesting, disease, pollution, habitat loss and competition with invasive non-native species. The decline marks the bivalves as exceptionally vulnerable, and oyster beds as Europe’s most threatened marine habitat.
The strategy for the restoration of native oysters in the Blackwater focuses on both active seabed restoration and passive restoration through increased protection. Blue Marine has supported ENORI with fundraising and by hiring a project manager, Matt Uttley, to drive forward the restoration programme.
We also worked with windfarm operator Ørsted to scope native oyster restoration off the Essex coast at Gunfleet Sands. This innovative scoping work has been expanded across the UK, and Blue Marine continues to work with regulators and the windfarm industry to increase opportunities for nature.
Our partners, the Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative (ENORI), work to restore native oysters and the beds they form. ENORI members secured protection for native oysters in 2013, through the creation of the 284 sq km Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries Marine Conservation Zone. This is the only area in the UK protected for both native oysters populations and the habitat they provide.
Since 2013, ENORI has worked to improve the seabed for oysters and their larvae through the creation of new oyster reefs. The reefs consist of hundreds of tonnes of ‘cultch’ – gravel and shell which juvenile oysters require to settle on. ENORI has also boosted the mature broodstock population through the addition of tens of thousands of adult oysters into the newly restored seabed.
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This European Native Oyster Habitat Restoration Handbook aims to provide foundational and practical guidance on the restoration and conservation of native oysters (Ostrea edulis) and native oyster habitat across the UK and Ireland. The guidance outlined throughout the Handbook is also of relevance to projects across the native oyster’s biogeographic range.
04 November 2020
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The Solent Seascape Project aims to recover a dynamic network of habitats, where ocean meets coastline, as the first project of its kind in the UK.
The sturgeon has existed for 200 million years, and the UK’s two native species were once widespread in its rivers and coastal waters. Blue Marine is working to restore the UK populations.
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