Our mission

Our mission is to restore flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) beds in the North Sea. The main motive behind this is marine nature restoration.

Time for flat oyster restoration

The time is right for flat oyster restoration in the North Sea area: the number of protected areas free from bottom trawling is increasing, pollution is decreasing and the species is recovering from the ‘Bonamia’ disease, as we showed in our feasibility study of 2014-15. This is underpinned by the recent discovery of flat oyster beds (mixed with Pacific oysters, Magallana gigas) in the Dutch Voordelta and Wadden Sea and by the increase of the flat oyster population in Oosterschelde.

Time for flat oyster restoration

The time is right for flat oyster restoration in the North Sea area: the number of protected areas free from bottom trawling is increasing, pollution is decreasing and the species is recovering from the ‘Bonamia’ disease, as we showed in our feasibility study of 2014-15. This is underpinned by the recent discovery of flat oyster beds (mixed with Pacific oysters, Magallana gigas) in the Dutch Voordelta and Wadden Sea and by the increase of the flat oyster population in Oosterschelde.

History of the flat oyster in the North Sea

Currently, the North Sea see floor is mainly characterized by soft sediments. In the past however, the seafloor was covered by extensive oyster beds covering about 20,000 km2 (Olsen, 1883). They mainly disappeared through over-fishing, by the beginning of the 20th century.
Hotspots of biodiversity
Flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) can survive and reproduce in relatively deep marine waters, up to 50-60 meters. As bioengineers they provide natural habitat for a rich community of life forms, such as anemones, crabs, tunicates and different species of fish. Hence, oyster beds are a corner stone for marine biodiversity. This was already shown by biologist Carl Moebius, who investigated the oyster beds in the German Wadden Sea more than a century ago.

Economic benefits

On the long run, if the restored oysters beds grow sufficiently large, we do not exclude commercial culture and harvesting of flat oysters. Since they have a high commercial value, our vision is that flat oyster restoration can go hand in hand, and may even be financed by, culture and sale of selective amounts of the oysters. But not before large-scale beds are firmly established and thriving, and techniques are developed to harvest the oysters from the sea floor in a sustainable way.