Oyster Reefs
A healthy oyster reef is an incredibly biodiverse environment. They are perhaps the nearest thing that we have to a coral reef in temperate waters.
An oyster reef is built over decades as new generations of molluscs settle and attach themselves to the previous generation. This creates a living, honeycombed structure, full of crevices and holes that team with life. Feeding on algae and other microscopic life, the reef filters billions of litres every day, cleaning the water and making it suitable for other life.
Crabs, lobsters and shrimps lurk in the spaces, protected from predators. Other molluscs like winkles and whelks slither around, feeding on detritus or boring holes in the oysters (and other shellfish) to consume the reef builder in situ.
The achilles heel of an oyster reef has been their importance as food for humans. With relative ease they can be transported, in their own home made ‘tin’ to far flung places. Harvested in vast numbers to feed our cities in the 18th and 19th centuries, the oyster was the food of the poor. 95% of the UKs vast reef has been destroyed since the 19th century. In Europe, 85% of native oyster reefs have been lost. It is one of the most threatened marine habitats in Europe.
In the far west of our region, one place survived this destruction.. Stewardship of Loch Ryan’s oyster reef was placed in the hands ofthe Wallace family. Centuries of care and sustainable use mean that Loch Ryan has the largest intact native oyster reef left in Scotland. Oysters from Loch Ryan have been relocated to seas across Europe, providing the start of what we hope will be a resurgence in the native oyster’s abundance.
Jenny Wright, SCAMP Innovation project manager, explains more about the development of this stage:
“We are developing survey plans to improve our understanding of the health and extent of the existing native oyster population within Loch Ryan. We are also developing a habitat suitability assessment for the reintroduction of native oysters across the Solway coast. This includes considering the historic presence of the species along with modern-day environmental conditions and other users of the marine space.”
