A Scotch whisky giant is marking 10 years of a pioneering environmental partnership by returning its 100,000th oyster to the Dornoch Firth. Since 2014, Glenmorangie, Heriot-Watt University and the Marine Conservation Society have pursued a shared dream of bringing oysters back to the Firth in an environmental first. The goal of the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project, known as DEEP, was to regenerate an oyster reef close to Glenmorangie's Highland home which had been fished to extinction over a century ago.
Pictured: Professor Bill Sanderson, DEEP lead scientist of Heriot-Watt University showing oyster growth (Image: JP Photography) The project’s first phase, led by Professor Bill Sanderson, trawled archaeological records, ancient literature and fisheries records, then sampled shell material, to show that oysters had existed in the Dornoch Firth up to 10,000 years ago – and that reintroducing them was feasible. In 2017, 300 oysters from the UK’s only sizeable wild oyster population in Loch Ryan were carefully placed on two sites in the Dornoch Firth in ballasted bags, to confirm that they would thrive in the water. Researchers were 'delighted' to see a survival rate in line with their highest expectations – up to 86% on one site.
For the next phase of the project, waste shell from the scallop and mussel industry was placed in locations on the seabed, to form reefs for the oysters. This helped to stabilise the sediment and allow the oysters to grow on top, mimick.