Dr Liz Ashton exploring the shoreline of the Firth of Forth. Stirling University
More than 50 years after they were thought to be extinct, a University of Stirling researcher has discovered native oysters in the Firth of Forth.
Dr Liz Ashton came across two of the seldom seen Scottish shellfish on the shoreline whilst investigating the possibility of reintroducing oysters to the river.
"I was walking along the slippery stones by the water's edge and spotted what I thought could be an oyster," she said.
"The tide was still going out so I had to wait a while to confirm it was a specimen of native oyster."
The discovery gives new hope that there could once again be commercial farming of shellfish in the area, despite studies of the Firth of Forth in 1957 reporting the oysters were biologically extinct due to overfishing.
"This news bodes well for future attempts to return the native oyster to its former status," said David Donnan, Senior Fisheries Advisory Officer for Scottish Natural Heritage.
The native oyster is part of SNH's Species Framework, a five-year programme of conservation work coordinated by SNH. One of the objectives of the framework is to attempt to restore oyster populations in areas where they were formerly abundant.
For more information visit the University of Stirling Institute of Aquaculture online.
