Loch Ryan Oysters

Loch Ryan Oysters are unique to the South of Scotland. Located in the west of Dumfries and Galloway we have the last Wild Oyster Fishery in Scotland and an abundance of rare disease free Oysters which are sustainably farmed and used for conservation projects elsewhere across Europe. The sea loch where they live is surrounded by a special community proud of their Oyster Heritage. An oyster reef is built over decades as new generations of molluscs settle and attach themselves to the previous generation. This creates a living, honeycombed structure, full of crevices and holes that team with life. Feeding on algae and other microscopic life, the reef filters billions of litres every day, cleaning the water and making it suitable for other life. The Achilles heel of an oyster reef has been their importance as food for humans. With relative ease they can be transported, in their own home made ‘tin’ to far flung places. Harvested in vast numbers to feed our cities in the 18th and 19th centuries, the oyster was the food of the poor. 95% of the UKs vast reef has been destroyed since the 19th century. In Europe, 85% of native oyster reefs have been lost. It is one of the most threatened marine habitats in Europe. In the far west of our region, one place survived this destruction. Stewardship of Loch Ryan’s oyster reef was placed in the hands of the Wallace family. Centuries of care and sustainable use mean that Loch Ryan has the largest intact native oyster reef left in Scotland. Oysters from Loch Ryan have been relocated to seas across Europe, providing the start of what we hope will be a resurgence in the native oyster’s abundance. This film created by Coulson & Tennant Productions was commissioned to shine a light on this habitat. Solway Coast and Marine Project- Landscape Connections (SCAMP) is an ambitious landscape restoration project which focuses on 210 miles of the Solway coast. Its ambition is to restore 5 habitats and native oysters is one of them. Led by Dumfries and Galloway Council Environment Team and delivered through partnership of south of Scotland nature-based organisations, SCAMP is mainly funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.