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Seafish, the authority on seafood, has awarded £15,000 from its Industry Project Fund (IPF) to the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) to produce a report detailing the issues pertaining to Pacific oyster cultivation in the UK.
Once complete, this paper will be presented to Government for consideration. It is hoped that this report will help clear up issues surrounding Pacific oyster cultivation and lead to a decision on the way forward for this species within the UK industry.
David Jarrad, SAGB Director, said: “The UK Pacific oyster industry is currently facing an uncertain future because of continuing debate on the status of this species. Introduced to the UK by the UK Government under strict quarantine in 1965, the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is now considered an 'invasive non-native species' by Natural England which also advocates considerable regulatory burdens on the industry as a result.
“However, colleagues in France, who farm over 115,000 tonnes a year, consider this species to be naturalised. This project aims to review this and other related issues and produce a report for the government to assist a decision on the future status of this species.”
The Seafish Industry Project Fund aims to support innovation and foster growth in all areas of the UK seafood industry. Now in its seventh year, to date it has supported more than 80 projects, providing a wide range of benefits to the seafood sector. With significant partnership funding, this year’s projects will be worth an estimated £1.5M to industry.
The IPF is supporting 15 new projects in its current cycle, together with the continuation of nine projects from previous funding rounds.
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