The history of the European native oyster Ostrea edulis in Northern Irish waters and the four phases of resource exploitation

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Table 1

Historical timeline detailing the events that lead to the exploitation and depletion of the native oyster categorized in phases of “Personal use”, “Commercialization”, “Collapse” and “Recovery”.

Phase 1	“Personal use”
Mesolithic	Excavations at shell middens in Strangford Lough, Larne Lough, Belfast Lough, and the Northeast Coast revealed large quantities of Ostrea edulis shell (Movius Jr et al., 1954; Murray, 2007; Warren, 2015).
Neolithic	Ostrea edulis shell present and common in excavations of midden pits throughout Ireland, notably Glenarm (Richards & Schulting, 2006; Movius Jr et al., 1937).
400–1100	Ostrea edulis shells present at ringforts, caves, and middens in Co. Antrim, Co. Down and Co. Londonderry (Murray, 2007).
1100–1300	Excavations of kitchen midden at Norman Castle Carrickfergus, unearthed large quantities of Ostrea edulis shells (Waterman, 1952).
1300–1600	To ensure that all fishermen earned a liveable wage, prices were fixed in 1461. All men were allowed to fish for oysters within the catchment but were not allowed to sell oysters cheaper than the fishery working the area to control the market (Went, 1963).
1600–1620	In Counties Donegal and Londonderry oysters were fished in a controlled manner whereby only enough were harvested to feed the family (Jefferies, 1997; Allen, 2010).
1620–1700	Oysters were being dredged as well as hand harvested (Montgomery, 1683; Harris, 1744).
Phase 2	“Commercialization”
1700–1740	Evidence of oysters being commercially exploited throughout Co. Down in local farmers markets (Harris, 1744; Seward, 1795; Royle, 1994; Smyth, 2007).
1740–1770	Becoming a sellable commodity due to better boats with more dredge capacity resulting in increased landings (Royle, 1994).
1770–1780	The first report of a recognized commercial oyster fishery in Belfast Lough was in 1780 when it was stated that “the oysters are dredged from September to May by 27 boats and 123 fishermen” (McSkimin, 1839).
1780–1800	Oysters were transported from Carlingford Lough to Dublin for immediate consumption as they were in high demand (Mac Con Iomaire, 2004).
1800–1840	Irish oysters were supply points for the English and Scottish commercial markets (Hayden-Hughes et al., 2023). Notably, by 1832 most of the oysters along Lough Foyle were sent straight to Liverpool rather than local market and this was followed by Irish oysters being used to restock foreign beds (Went, 1963).
	Typical daily cartload of oysters from Lough Foyle was 30,000 and of this quantity, approximately 400 to 500 of the larger oysters were taken and sold to carriers at a rate of 3 pounds per cartload (Day & McWilliam, 1835).
	In Belfast Lough, 800–1200 oysters per boat were dredged in the early 1800s, landings declined to 300 oysters per boat in the 1830s. As they were being depleted the price rose from 4–7 shillings per hundred to 8–18 shillings (McSkimin, 1839).
Phase 3	“Collapse”
1840–1860	Even during the no take months from May to August, oysters were still being sold fresh in Donaghadee, Belfast and Newry markets (Day & McWilliams, 1837).
1860–1900	Oyster beds diminished so significantly that an enquiry was conducted by the Inspector of Irish Fisheries, to see how the decline could be halted (Smyth, 2007).
1860–1900	Oyster fisheries were collapsing throughout Ireland with specific mention to Carlingford Lough, Ballynahinch, Belfast Lough and Lough Foyle, but it was perceived that if regulations were enforced the populations could recover (Blake et al., 1870).
1900–1920	All fisheries in Ireland no longer economically viable. Belfast fishery was considered closed in 1903. Artisanal fisheries still in operation in parts of Ireland (Browne, 1904; Smyth et al., 2021).
1920–1970	It was specifically noted that in Lough Foyle, beds that were formally worked, now rarely had oysters present (MacDonald et al., 1952).
Phase 4	“Recovery”
1990–2000	In the 1990s, an EU funded project deployed 75 tonnes of cultch topped with 3,000 mature O. edulis on historic beds in Strangford Lough. No observed population growth or recruitment was recorded from this effort (Smyth, 2007).
1990–2000	A grower in 1998, laid 125,000 oysters on the low western shore of Strangford Lough. This inadvertent restoration boosted population numbers significantly (>1.5 million by 2006) (Kennedy & Roberts, 1999; Smyth et al., 2009).
2020–Present	Current O. edulis restoration project in place by Ulster Wildlife in both Bangor (Belfast Lough) and Glenarm (North Channel Strait) with plans to expand (Ulster Wildlife, 2022).

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