Ostrea edulis beds

Ostrea edulis is commonly known as european flat oyster, their occurrence in natural stocks or beds is "known to have been more abundant and widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries with large offshore oyster grounds in the southern North Sea, the English Channel, the Irish Sea and off the southwest to north-west coasts of Ireland" (Marine Habitat Group, 2016).

"OSPAR has listed O. edulis and O. edulis beds as threatened and/or declining in all regions where they occur. In the Wadden Sea, oyster beds are recently considered to be ‘critical’ (under immediate threat of extinction) and have therefore been added to a Red List of macrofaunal benthic invertebrates for the area. There is currently insufficient information, however, to determine the true distribution and extent of the habitat throughout the North East Atlantic region" (Marine Habitat Group, 2016).

"During the 20th century, the occurrence of O. edulis beds in European waters has declined, largely due to excessive harvesting and disease outbreaks. O. edulis beds are also sensitive to a wide range of pressures, such as: substratum loss, smothering, decrease in temperature, increase in wave exposure, increased water flow, abrasion and physical disturbance, synthetic compound contamination, introduction of microbial pathogens/parasites, heavy metal contamination, changes in oxygenation, introduction of nonnative species and harvesting" (Marine Habitat Group, 2016).

Source:

Marine Habitat Group (2016). "European Red List of Habitats". Retrieved from https://projects.eionet.europa.eu/european-red-list-habitats/library/marine-habitats/sample-level-5-assessments/north-east-atlantic-level-5, accessed on 2022-02-10.

For more information please refer to the original document cited.

Return to North Sea Sediments page. Return to North Sea Sediments page.