Common Oyster (Ostrea edulis)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Invertebrate > mollusc > Mollusc (marine) |
| Red List Status: | (Not Relevant) [(not listed)(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Ostrea edulis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | (not listed) |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | There is no marine red listing, but huge declines are known around the coast of England (& elsewhere around coasts of Britain & Ireland). The species decline has resulted from multiple factors including: 1. historic over fishing, 2. habitat loss, 3. diseases including oyster herpes visus & bonamiosis, 4. pollution from sewage and TBT, 5. completion from NNS such as slipper limpets Crepidula fornicata & Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas, 5. predators including NNS the American oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Numerous surveys are already being undertaken by many bodies including IFCA. Pollution and INNS are the main threats but reintroductions could be carried out if habitat improves. Species specific actions are in widescale use as documented by the Native Oyster Network - UK & Ireland. At least 12 native oyster projects (e.g. Solent Oyster Restoration Project); Saving Ester - Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC) are practicing restoration of oyster reefs with dead shell material, suspended broodstock cages to encourage natural spat settlement, release of young captive bred oysters onto restored beds (e.g. a target of 1 million is set for the Fal project) |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Structured - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Improvement of water quality in edible oyster areas (chiefly estuaries) |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Undertake restoration of oyster reefs with dead shell material. This involves applying old or dead cockle, mussel and other shell materials to existing oyster reefs to encourage settlement platforms for freshly settled oyster spat.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: As detailed by Native Oyster Network - UK / Ireland e.g. Solent Harbours, Fal Estuary. Essex estuaries
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake reintroductions of oysters to restored beds & broodstock cages to encourage natural oyster spat settlement
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: (Re-)introduction
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: As detailed by Native Oyster Network - UK / Ireland e.g. Solent Harbours, Fal Estuary. Essex estuaries
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Establish a monitoring programme to judge success of Actions 1 & 2.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: National
High priority sites: As detailed by Native Oyster Network - UK / Ireland e.g. Solent Harbours, Fal Estuary. Essex estuaries
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.