The native European oyster, which was once abundant in UK coastal waters, is on the verge of making a comeback in the South East - thanks to Defra scientists and the CSL (Central Science Laboratory).
The last one hundred years has seen the steady decline of the native oyster, due to pests, pollutants, severe winters and over-fishing. Oysters disappear rapidly once they are over-fished as they only reproduce sporadically. Known as the 'food of the poor' in the 1880s due to its ubiquity, the 1980s saw oyster numbers hit rock bottom, and scientists feared the species would be unable to regenerate.
However, thanks to the development of the Biodiversity Action Plan of Great Britain started in the mid 1990s, researchers are now sure that oysters can be successfully reintroduced.
Ian Laing, a senior scientist, at Cefas said:
"The native oyster is still a commercially important species for many fishermen, and after decades of decline we believe there is a programme in place to protect it. The solid return of the native oyster would be a benefit to UK coasts both in terms of economics and biodiversity and we are working to ensure it continues to thrive in the future."
Researchers at the Cefas laboratory in Weymouth have carried out a feasibility study to evaluate all factors involved in restoring the oyster population. They have found that the oyster shares enough genes to make importing part-grown oysters a real option.
Most importantly, increasing the oyster population could bring benefits to other wildlife species, both molluscs and vegetation, in coastal areas.
