10:33, 03 April 2023
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
A whiskey distillery in Scotland is teaming up with a charity to reintroduce native oysters to the area.
Part-funded by the Glenmorangie Distillery in Scotland, the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project (aptly shortened to DEEP) is aiming to return Native European oysters to Scotland.
30 million oysters per year used to be harvested from the waters around Scotland - now, the levels of these complex little creatures are dangerously low - and, as they provide vital water filtration, it is having a terrible effect on the local ecosystem.
Seed money provided by the distillery has come together with researchers from Heriot-Watt University and the Marine Conservation Society.
This partnership has resulted in thousands of oysters being returned to their natural habitat of Scottish waters.
It is hoped that, in five years time, they will have millions of oysters in place, and that they will over time become self-sustaining.