- Title: High density dwelling helping oysters reproduce
- Date: 24th April 2017
- Summary: HAMBLE-LE-RICE, ENGLAND, UK (APRIL 20, 2017) (REUTERS) RESEARCHERS LIFTING AN OYSTER CAGE OUT OF THE WATER REMOVING MICRO-REEF FROM CAGE VARIOUS OF UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH RESEARCHERS STUDYING OYSTERS SOUNDBITE (English) TIM GLOVER, BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION SAYING: "Oysters are filter feeders. A single oyster will filter two hundred litres a day so we're trying to put five million into the Solent, so imagine how many billions of litres of water are going to be cleaned every day by that. So that's one of the functions of the oyster. But they also provide habitat when they start to thrive again and form oyster beds, they provide good habitats for other animals and sea life." VARIOUS OF UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH RESEARCHERS STUDYING OYSTERS SOUNDBITE (English) DR JOANNE PRESTON, UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH, INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCES, SAYING: "A female oyster in her prime, they'll start spawning in maybe May, June and July and brooding and one oyster can produce between one and two million oyster larvae in one season. So if we've got ten thousand oysters most of which are reproducing well that would be an enormous source of oyster larvae into the water column and hopefully that would increase the likelihood that these oyster larvae will find a suitable substrate and settle down and form a seabed population and help to start promoting that natural seabed population and better surface for future larvae to come and settle." OYSTERS ON THE PONTOON RESEARCHERS SCALES AND MEASURING EQUIPMENT OYSTERS RESEARCHERS LOWERING AN OYSTER CAGE INTO THE SEA SOUNDBITE (English) LUKE HELMER PHD RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH "So these cages are filled with mature oysters and the hope is that they'll be in close proximity so when the males release their sperm into the water column the females will take it in easier than if they were in low density beds and it's hoped that this will increase the reproduction success and that they'll produce loads of larvae that will enter the water column and spread across the whole Solent and stock areas that can be used both for the fishery and that can be protected as well." RESEARCHERS LOWERING AN OYSTER CAGE INTO THE SEA OYSTER CAGE UNDERWATER RESEARCHERS WALK AWAY
- Embargoed: 8th May 2017 10:11
- Keywords: oyster mollusc University of Portsmouth filter water
- Location: HAMBLE-LE-RICE, ENGLAND, UK / AT SEA, OFF SOUTH COST OF ENGLAND, UK
- City: HAMBLE-LE-RICE, ENGLAND, UK / AT SEA, OFF SOUTH COST OF ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA0016DRDU1N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Researchers have begun an effort to restore the overfished population of oysters off the south coast of England with high density dwelling cages to encourage the mollusc to reproduce.
The cages, designed by PhD researcher at the University of Portsmouth, Luke Helmer, are being installed underneath floating pontoons in marinas along the Solent, a stretch of water off the south coast of England.
Researchers say the native oyster population in the UK has halved over the last 25 years, while globally an estimated 85% of oyster beds and reef habitats have been lost.
A coalition of scientists, fishermen and conservationists hope to introduce a million oysters into the Solent this year and say they hope the five year programme will see a transformational effect on the local water quality.
"Oysters are filter feeders. A single oyster will filter two hundred litres a day so we're trying to put five million into the Solent, so imagine how many billions of litres of water are going to be cleaned every day by that. So that's one of the functions of the oyster. But they also provide habitat when they start to thrive again and form oyster beds, they provide good habitats for other animals and sea life," said Tim Glover, UK Projects Director of the Blue Marine Foundation.
The project involves using volunteers to fill cages with an initial 10,000 oysters which it's hoped will help them reproduce.
"A female oyster in her prime, they'll start spawning in maybe May, June and July and brooding and one oyster can produce between one and two million oyster larvae in one season. So if we've got ten thousand oysters most of which are reproducing well that would be an enormous source of oyster larvae into the water column and hopefully that would increase the likelihood that these oyster larvae will find a suitable substrate and settle down and form a seabed population and help to start promoting that natural seabed population and better surface for future larvae to come and settle," said Portsmouth University's Dr Joanne Preston.
The aim is to reintroduce 1 million oysters by the end of the year to help clean up the Solent.
The cage-like structures, designed and built by MDL Marinas, are prototypes that can be used in the future by other marinas and boat owners who wish to help to restore the native oyster.
"So these cages are filled with mature oysters and the hope is that they'll be in close proximity so when the males release their sperm into the water column the females will take it in easier than if they were in low density beds and it's hoped that this will increase the reproduction success and that they'll produce loads of larvae that will enter the water column and spread across the whole Solent and stock areas that can be used both for the fishery and that can be protected as well.," said Helmer.
The restoration of the native oyster will provide wide-ranging ecological and social benefits for the region over the long-term by helping to improve water quality, foster valuable habitats and re-establish what at one point was Europe's largest oyster bed. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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