Volunteers Prepare Oysters for Chichester Harbour Restoration
Volunteers have been scrubbing 5,000 oysters in preparation for their placement into Chichester Harbour, aiming to help filter water and restore the local ecosystem.
The oysters will be secured in baskets beneath pontoons in the West Sussex harbour. The initiative hopes to restore native oyster populations and enhance biodiversity in the area.
Oysters’ Role in Ecosystem and Water Purification
Lottie Johns, co-founder of Harbour Oysters, explained that increasing oyster numbers would lead to purified water, which encourages the growth of sea grasses and salt marshes. These habitats attract fish nurseries and eventually birds and mammals.
"The oysters are amazing little ecosystem engineers, a single oyster can filter about 150 litres of water per day," she said.
"Our first project in Emsworth Harbour was 4,000 oysters and they can turn over the entire yacht basin in 20 days," she added.
"They can take out dissolved organic carbons like sewage, plant matter and land run-off like nitrates and phosphates. They can also deal with forever chemicals."
Oysters are filter feeders that use their gills as a sieve. Microscopic hairs on the gills trap plankton, sediment, and nutrients. The oyster consumes the food and expels non-food particles.
Community Involvement in Oyster Scrubbing
Seventy-five volunteers participated in the oyster scrubbing event at the Chichester Harbour Conservancy Education Centre on Wednesday.
After scrubbing, the 5,000 oysters are briefly dunked into a chlorinated bath to eliminate bacteria before being placed into the harbour.
Historical Context and Future Plans
Lottie Johns added context on the native oyster’s decline:
"The native oyster was basically wiped out in the 17th and 18th Century because of overfishing, pollution and disease."
Next month, an additional 5,000 oysters will be installed in Emsworth, Hampshire. Plans are also underway to install oysters in baskets at Portsmouth and Littlehampton.
In total, 14,000 oysters will be installed beneath Chichester Harbour’s jetties this year.
Chichester Harbour Conservancy’s Environmental Initiatives
Kate L'Amie, communications and engagement officer at Chichester Harbour Conservancy, expressed enthusiasm for the project:
"We are really keen to have this project in the harbour."
She noted that the harbour has a nature recovery initiative focusing on four key areas: salt marshes, sea grass meadows, coastal birds, and water quality.
"I think most people wouldn't know we had sea grass meadows in Chichester Harbour, they're a great home for seahorses. We have two species of seahorse here."
Future Habitat Creation and Oyster Population Growth
In spring, Chichester Harbour will collaborate with the Solent Seascape Project to create a natural habitat for oysters on the seabed.
It is hoped that the native oysters in cages will help increase the oyster population by releasing larvae into harbour waters, which could settle and grow into adult oysters.
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