2021 Oyster Ark Survey of Native Oysters on Mull and Skye

The Oyster Ark Project (Nature Restoration fund project RES921142) was developed to attempt to fill in some of the gaps and to add to our knowledge of the extant populations of native oysters around Scotland. The project was carried out by volunteers from Seasearch and by a team from Heriot-Watt University and was funded by the Biodiversity Challenge Fund. The project aimed to seek out remnant wild Scottish native oyster (Ostrea edulis) habitats, assess their population sizes, disease status, presence of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS). Surveys were carried out on foot in intertidal areas, or using snorkellers and divers for subtidal areas. Abundance counts of areas were established by surveyors.