Native Oyster Restoration Project, Community Training 18 – 19 September 2021 BOOK YOUR PLACE

Lochaline Harbour is supporting CAOLAS -a local charity- Community Association of Lochs and Sounds in their project to reintroduce native oysters to Lochaline.  The oyster cages are located under the floating pontoons at Lochaline Harbour.

The aim of the project is to reseed areas with oyster beds, providing wider benefits for the recovery of a range of species, improving water purity, through the vital filtration role that oysters play, and in the future creating economic and learning opportunities for local community projects, although no harvesting is planned within current projects as they are focused on habitat restoration.

Native oyster numbers have declined by  95% in the UK since the mid-19th century and are near-extinct in these Scottish sea lochs where they once thrived largely due to historic over-harvesting and habitat degradation.  Lochaline Primary School is helping monitor the growth of the oysters which were introduced in March 2021 and are growing very well.   See here for more information

https://www.facebook.com/Lochalinenativeoysterproject/

On 18/19^th September there is Oyster Reintroduction training day 9am-3pm in Lochaline.  Contact admin@caolas.org for more information and to book your place on the training.