Children dive in to help oysters and coastline
Children from Seaburn Dene Primary School have been taking part in a project to introduce an oyster reef off Sunderland’s coastline to increase North East oyster populations, to improve water-quality and protect against storm damage.
The Wild Oysters Project is hoping to reverse the damage caused by decades of dredgefishing and over-harvesting which has seen a 95% reduction in oyster population sin UK waters, including the North Sea.
Led by the Zoological Society of London, Blue Marine Foundation and British Marine, three key locations have been identified to reintroduce oysters in a bid to restore natural populations.
With Tyne and Wear identifiedas a“key area ”, Sunderland Marina is one of six locations where 30 oyster farms are being cultivated.
By April 2023, the project plans to install a 2.5km square offshore reef consisting of 150 tonnes of used scallop shells and larvae from the nurseries will be used to“create a self-sustaining population of oysters ”.
The initiative is facilitated by the community charity Groundwork and local project lead and Wildlife Biologist Stephen B rend said :“Forget about coral reefs, shellfish reefs are the most badly damaged marine habitat and as a result, oyster population sin the North Sea have almost disappeared.
"One oyster can filter 200 litres of water a day and so large populations can have a massive impact on improving water quality.
"Dredging can leave the seabedflat, whereas a reef with the oysters provides an uneven surface which provides protection for smaller fish which can increase biodiversity.
"Reefs out at sea also provide a natural buffer with the land which can reduce the potential for damage caused by the sea during all the recent storms we’ve been having.”
The project has enlisted local schoolchildren to help monitor the oyster nurseries by counting and weighing numbers of the species in the marinawhile also learning about the biodiversity of the marine environment.
One of those schools keen to be involved was Seaburn Dene Primary School.
Matilda Marrs,nine,s aid :“I hope in years to come we can have an oyster population in the North Sea. Oysters are important in keeping the sea clean.”
Max Boydell, nine, added: “It’s important to protect our environment and I’ve enjoyed helping count and weigh the oysters in the nursery.”