Objective: To restore native flat oysters to UK waters and empower the return of an historical industry.
Stage: Seeking feasibility test funding
What is it?
This project seeks to bring the National Oyster Centre to Ayrshire. The National Oyster Centre will be an Innovation centre for the restoration of the native flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, to our waters, and will consist of three income streams to ensure the facility is economically self-sustainable:
- A non-profit commercial-scale oyster spat operation
- An aquaculture research, development and conference facility, leveraging existing research grants and hosting researchers and leaders from centres of marine biology excellence around the UK and Europe
- An educational visitors centre where visitors of all ages can learn about aquaculture through interactive exhibits
Benefits to Ayrshire
- Potentially revitalise an existing structure/brownland area, restoring local biodiversity
- Bring well-paid, highly educated technical and academic jobs to Ayrshire
- Support the restoration of an important species and an historic industry
- Bring more visitors to Ayrshire
- As economic benefits are not reliant on footfall, the centre will remain viable in most economic situations
- Bring more money to Ayrshire over a longer period as employees and researchers must rent or buy homes and use services
- Increase national and European profile of Ayrshire
- Support local businesses in Ayrshire
- Revitalize Ayrshire’s reputation as an innovation centre & transform it into a marine biodiversity centre of expertise
- Drive publicity to Marine Museum and other Ayrshire projects through our national work and ongoing coverage