Lottery shells out on native oyster reefs
A dream project to recover Britain’s native oysters is being brought to life with the help of charity funding – and Tyne and Wear will play its part in making the plans a reality.
Internationalconservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London), Blue Marine Foundation(BLUE)andBritish Marinearecelebratingafterreceiving more than £1million in fundingtoboostthenativeoyster population in Britain.
RaisedbyplayersofPeople’s PostcodeLotteryandawarded as part of the Dream Fund, the money will help the Wild Oysters Project to recover the native oyster population, which will lead to cleaner water, healthier fisheries and plentiful marine biodiversity across the nation.
Wildnativeoystershavedeclined by more than 95% in the UK, with the decrease blamed on a combination of over-harvesting, habitat loss and pollution.
The Tyne and Wear coastal water body will join the River Conwy in Wales and the Firth of Clyde in Scotland in being the locations for new wild oyster reefs.
Alison Debney, ZSL Senior Conservation Programme
Manager,said:“Ourdreamisto grow a self-sustaining populationofnativeoystersintheUK.
"This funding awarded by Postcode Dream Trust means wenowhavethepotentialtorelease nine billion native oyster larvae into the ocean creating oyster nurseries in UK waters, work with local communities tocareforouroceanssuperheroes and connect people and wildlife.
“Thanks to players of People's Postcode Lottery we hope toseehealthy,resilient,coastal watersandmakearemarkable difference to the future of wild oysters.”
It’s hoped that the new oyster nurseries will inspire the next generation to protect and enchance Britain’s marine environment, with the project expected to engage thousands of volunteers from schools, workplaces and other organisations to get involved in the importance of increasing the oyster population.
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, added: “Oysters are little carboncapturersastheypurify the water in which they grow, removingandstoringnitrogen andcarbondioxidefromtheatmosphere.
"Funding raised by players supports a vast range of environmental causes in Britain and beyond, and it’s incredible to see the impact this is making.”