Update on Lochaline native oyster project

Almost a year after the Lochaline native oyster project last appeared in the Lochaber Times, regular correspondent Savannah Cobb-Thomas has recently revisited the project.

 

Last year, the native oysters (Ostrea edulis) were still being grown in cages until they were ready to transition to the loch bed.

 

Over the winter, since our last report, the oysters were left to grow at Lochaline pontoon until the spring.

 

With support from volunteers and the CAOLAS team, the lengthy task of regularly weighing and measuring the oysters was carried out.

 

By May, the majority of the oysters were weighing 10g, which meant they were mature enough to be released.

 

The even bigger task of sorting through the thousands of oysters and selecting the

 

largest ones was undertaken, with the help of the community.

 

Some were marked to allow easy identification for survival rates and assessments, using the mark-capture-release technique.

 

The largest selected oysters were then released into carefully selected test sites and the marine community officer explained there was a less than two per cent mortality

 

rate among the oysters.

 

By July, more oysters had reached maturity and were released, leaving only the smallest specimens at the pontoons to mature and re-join the rest of the oysters in the loch later.

 

But this effort to restore Lochaline’s natural biodiversity is not over as Lochaline’s dedicated and resident volunteers and CAOLAS team received even more oysters in October and, after such a successful test run, the process has begun again.

 

‘We now have 10,000 native oysters in our release site and an additional 10,000 growing in cages on the community-owned pontoons at Lochaline harbour,' said CAOLAS chairmwoman Annabel Lawrence.

 

'All this has been made possible by grant funding from Fauna and Flora International, Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation and the William Grant Trust. We have also received donations for the purchase of juvenile oysters from local businesses.

 

‘The Lochaline Native Oyster project, in collaboration with the Heart of Argyll wildlife organisation and the Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot has shared educational activity packs throughout schools in our area to enable pupils to learn about the amazing ecosystem native oysters can provide.’

 

As previously explored, oysters are more than sedentary molluscs that bathe at the bottom of a body of water. They are key organisms to maintaining a water system’s health and a vital ecosystem foundation to many species.

 

Oysters maintain water clarity, which seagrasses - a critical defence against climate change - and other aquatic life depend on, and they also form reef-like structures that provide housing for aquatic species and therefore building ecosystems.

 

Annabel added: ‘Biodiversity restoration helps the environment and engages the community. Benefits from this type of project are not only tangible, with the re-

 

introduction of the habitat or species, but give people hope that small steps can bring about real change in their own areas.

 

‘We encourage other communities with an interest in improving the marine environment in their areas to think about native oyster restoration. It is fun, engaging and over time effective at improving the health of our inshore areas.’

 

To keep up to date on the oyster restoration project, visit the CAOLAS website and subscribe to its newsletter at www.caolas.org

 

CAPTION: Checking and monitoring the native oysters at Lochaline Pontoons in November last year. NO_F49_MorvernDoesCOP2605