A new reef is set to provide a significant boost for marine life in the East of England.
New oyster reefs are being deployed off the North Norfolk coast to improve water quality and help restore a healthy ocean ecosystem.
The project is a partnership between pet care company Purina and marine conservationists Oyster Heaven.
The aim is to embed a minimum of four million individual oysters and create a maritime home for a wide range of species.
Native European oysters, once plentiful along the UK coastline, play a crucial role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems.
Oyster reefs help generate biodiversity and are natural water filterers, removing pollutants such as excess nitrogen.
With the disappearance of the species from UK waters in the past century, this unique ecosystem function was lost. The reintroduction of oysters through building reefs is expected to significantly restore water clarity along the Norfolk coastline.
In August, Oyster Heaven deployed the first batch of specially designed clay bricks known as Mother Reefs, which serve as homes for juvenile oysters and pave the way for large-scale deployment.
Founder George Birch explained: “Building an oyster reef is all about large numbers to create population tipping points and provide a suitable habitat. It starts with the creation of Mother Reefs, specially designed clay structures.
“Each reef is pre-charged with over a hundred baby oysters, known as spats, in a controlled environment to ensure their survival and growth. Local teams from Norfolk Seaweed will then carefully place the Mother Reefs on the seafloor, allowing the spat to grow into mature oysters. These oyster reef systems then act as a foundation for the whole ecosystem, generating an oasis of life on the seafloor.”
By the end of 2026, 40,000 Mother Reefs are expected to be installed containing four million young oysters.
More broadly, Purina Europe has an ambitious Ocean Restoration Programme, which launched last year, and is part of the company’s commitment to help advance the regeneration of ocean and soil ecosystems in their extended fish supply chains.
The company is taking an active role to help restore marine habitats at scale across Europe. By working with various partners, the overall aim is to restore 1500 hectares – the equivalent of 3,700 football pitches – of marine habitat by 2030.
Alongside the newly announced oyster reef deployment project in the UK, restoration efforts also supported by Purina are already taking place in France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal.
Kerstin Schmeiduch, Director of Sustainability, said: “We source fish by-products for our pet food – meaning no part of the fish goes to waste while delivering valuable vitamins and minerals for pets. We are thrilled to be working with Oyster Heaven, marking an important step towards improving marine restoration along the Norfolk coastline and a first for Purina in the UK.
“As marine biodiversity faces significant challenges, it is essential we come together for collective restoration efforts. We urge other companies and organisations to work together on collaborative solutions for the benefit of ocean health.”
With a site already underway in the Netherlands, the collaboration is set to become the largest oyster restoration initiative in Europe.
