As a fisheries industry-science partnership, ENVISION have collaborated with Tethys Oysters Ltd. and the University of Essex in a research project to determine ecosystem benefits provided by oyster aquaculture. Surveys were carried out in the summer of 2023 to measure biodiversity and nitrogen cycling in places where oysters grow in English and Welsh waters, including three Pacific oyster farms, one wild Pacific oyster site, and one native oyster farm. Results were compared to control sites where no oysters live, providing new knowledge on how oyster populations may benefit marine ecosystems.

This information is now available for oyster lovers, the seafood industry, the conservation sector and government to understand more about oysters - a low carbon sustainable seafood resource - from MEDIN (search for ‘Ecosystem Benefits of UK Oyster Aquaculture Sites’). The report and project flyer can be downloaded here:

The project is being funded by the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme, with matched funding from the Fishmongers’ Company’s Fisheries Charitable Trust.

The FISP scheme is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra),and sits under the £100 million UK Seafood Fund which was set up to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. The FISP scheme aims to improve and share knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture by funding data collection and research to support sustainable fisheries management. All projects are delivered in collaboration between researchers and the fishing and seafood industry.