Research Article

Ten priority questions for increasing the consistency and success in hatchery production of the European flat oyster for habitat restoration

¹ Changing Oceans Group, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Rd, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
² Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO, CSIC). Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia. Varadero, 1, 30740, San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia), Spain
³ Roem van Yerseke BV, Yerseke, The Netherlands
⁴ Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, Yerseke, The Netherlands
⁵ Department of Applied Ecology, University of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Croatia
⁶ International Marine Centre − IMC, Loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Torre Grande, Italy
⁷ Biological Institute Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar-und Meeresforschung, Helgoland, Germany
⁸ Instituto Español de Oceanografıa (IEO, CSIC), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, Subida a Radio Faro, 50, 36390, Vigo, Spain
⁹ Stichting Zeeschelp, Kamperland, The Netherlands
¹⁰ Institute of Marine Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
¹¹ Centre for Applied Marine Sciences, School of Ocean Science, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, LL59 5AB, UK
¹² Northbay Innovations Ltd, New Horries, Deerness, Orkney UK. KW17 2QL
¹³ Centre for Coastal Research (CCR), Department of Natural Sciences, University of Agder, Postboks 422, NO-4604 Kristiansand, Norway
¹⁴ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Norway
¹⁵ Sas Consultancy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
¹⁶ Coastal Ecology, Danish Shellfish Centre, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Øroddevej 80, 7900 Nykøbing Mors, Denmark
¹⁷ University of Santiago de Compostela, Department of Microbiology & Institute of Aquaculture. 15782, Coruña, Spain

^* Corresponding author: philine.zuermgassen@cantab.net

Handling Editor: Tom C. Cameron

Received: 28 February 2023
Accepted: 9 August 2023

Abstract

The European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, once formed extensive reef habitats throughout European seas and estuaries. These reefs are now largely functionally extinct, yet interest and support for their restoration is rapidly growing. A major bottleneck to scaling up oyster reef restoration is the lack of available oysters to supply the growing demand. This study aimed to identify the ten questions which, if answered, would increase the consistency and success in hatchery production of O. edulis for habitat restoration. Candidate questions were submitted by representatives from twelve commercial and research hatcheries across Europe. The list of 98 candidate questions were collaboratively discussed by experts from nine research hatcheries across eight countries in Europe, to identify the top ten questions via an iterative and open process. Questions were grouped into the following themes: conditioning and feeding, larval rearing, disease and water quality, hatchery protocol, genetics, and hatchery management. There were several overarching topics spanning these themes, including diet optimisation, maximising the effective population size, and developing the technical skillbase in order to increase hatchery production to meet the projected increase in demand for oyster seed for habitat restoration efforts. We anticipate this list will provide a starting point for collaborative research efforts across Europe, as well as assisting policy makers and funders in identifying key knowledge gaps.