The pilot project Belreefs has officially been given the green light to install substrate with juvenile oysters at sea. This project, part of the LIFE B4B program, focuses on restoring the vanished oyster reefs in the Belgian North Sea. The first experiments using the innovative remote setting technique have been successfully completed. By the end of the summer, the oysters will be placed in the sea.
Innovative Technique
With the Belreefs project, the Marine Environment Department (FPS Public Health) aims to restore the once abundant but now completely disappeared oyster reefs in the North Sea. To achieve this, the project employs the remote setting technique, a method that enables large-scale nature restoration in the long term. The initial experiments have shown promising results.
In this technique, larvae of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) are transferred from a hatchery to tanks where they settle on an artificial substrate. This substrate is made of natural and biodegradable materials such as bricks and empty oyster shells. Once the juvenile oysters (the “oyster seed”) have reached an appropriate size, the substrate is placed on the seabed. The actual installation at sea is scheduled to take place by the end of the summer.
Oyster Reefs in the Spotlight at Nature Restoration Event
On Tuesday, May 6, the Marine Environment Department will organize its third event on nature restoration in the Belgian part of the North Sea, in collaboration with De Blauwe Cluster. The event will take place in Bredene and will focus on scaling up nature restoration efforts. More information about the event can be found here.
What is Belreefs?
The Belreefs consortium consists of Jan De Nul Group, the Institute for Nature Sciences, Shells & Valves, and Mantis Consulting. On behalf of the Marine Environment Department of FPS Public Health, this consortium has launched the first pilot project for restoring flat oyster reefs in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The project is part of action T4.8 of the LIFE B4B initiative.
The different phases in the oyster bank restoration project Photo (© Jan De Nul Group)