Outside the box thinking in oyster homing

THOUSANDS of oysters have been released off the North East coast in the hope of restoring the nearextinct native species to UK waters.

- By DANIEL HALL

In a UK first, 20 specialised reef cubes with 4,000 oysters attached have been deployed in the North Sea at Whitburn as part of the "innovative" project.

The oysters were cleaned and scrubbed at North Shields Fish Quay by 90 local volunteers, helping to ensure that no other species were accidentally introduced during the restoration work.

A further 100 volunteers helped to attach the oysters onto the cubes, using specialist reef glue.

The specially designed reef cubes are being trialled as ballasts to secure the native oysters to the seabed and help shield them from storms and tidal surges.

The six-tonne blocks are engraved with ridges and textures to mimic natural marine surfaces to provide shelter for other species, while large portholes in the centre should encourage marine life to the reef.