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Getty Images<\/p>\nRichard Evans<\/p>\n
Local Democracy Reporting Service<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Wild Oyster Project is in its final stage after being on hold for almost two years<\/p>\n
Wild Oysters are set to be introduced into Conwy Bay after an almost two-year delay was brought to an end by a succession of storms.<\/p>\n
Bangor University have been given permission to proceed to the final stage of the project and “reseed” a 660-tonne artificial reef.<\/p>\n
Harbourmaster Matthew Forbes said the project would “finally move towards completion” with the first distribution run set to take place on Friday.<\/p>\n
Wild oysters, once a major part of Wales’s fishing industry, have been in decline<\/a> as a result of over-fishing, changes in water quality, and disease.<\/p>\n It was first reported in July 2023 that Bangor University was working with the Zoological Society of London to reintroduce wild oysters into the waters.<\/p>\n Conwy Council’s Harbour Advisory Committee met this week for an update on the project.<\/p>\n Speaking at the meeting, harbourmaster Matthew Forbes said the reef was initially “above the marine licensed permitted height”.<\/p>\n “Over the last couple of years, storms have knocked the reef height down,” he added.<\/p>\n Mr Forbes said Natural Resources Wales had agreed the project could now move forward and 76 bags of oysters were ready to be distributed. <\/p>\n Meeting chairwoman Joan Vaughan said it would be “lovely” to have oysters in the River Conwy.<\/p>\n Oysters used to be popular in Welsh waters but numbers have fallen over the past 200 years<\/p>\n Native oysters used to be found around Conwy in large numbers but have virtually disappeared in recent years.<\/p>\n Oyster beds were a common sight in the Menai Strait and around Anglesey.<\/p>\n The Wild Oysters Project<\/a> website said they were a “vital food source” for coastal communities and “contributed” to the Welsh economy.<\/p>\n The Mumbles or ‘Oystermouth’ fishery<\/a> was the largest in Wales supporting 400 fishers across 188 boats. <\/p>\n In the mid-1800s Welsh oyster boats reported landing 8,000 oysters daily, but up to 15,000 to 20,000 oysters in some areas.<\/p>\n The efforts to reintroduce the shellfish in Wales follow a pattern of declining numbers in other parts of the UK.<\/p>\n A wildlife project on the East Yorkshire coast is testing a new breeding technique<\/a> to reintroduce 500,000 native European flat oysters over the next five years.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/25663580-4aa5-11f0-bbaa-4bc03e0665b7.jpg.webp.webp\")
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