The Solent Oyster Regeneration Project

The project

Today, over 85% of oyster beds have been lost globally. The BLUE Marine Foundation, working with MDL Marinas began an ambitious project to reseed the Solent with millions of juvenile oysters

Objectives

• Announce the introduction of 10,000 oysters at point of launch, with target of releasing one million by the end of the project’s first year
• Raise awareness of the importance of the project to the environment and community
• Demonstrate the process of restoring the oysters
• Compel other local businesses and individuals to support the project

Delivery

• Liaised with key media to attend the project launch day
• Liaised with all key partners to devise media materials to issue to all target media
• Utilised environmentalist and notable celebrity, Ben Fogle to attend the launch
• Organised press call and full media schedule

Results

• Highly successful launch which attracted over 130 volunteers across the Solent
• Delivered wide-spread media coverage including Good Morning Britain, BBC South, Reuters, The Guardian and Metro
• Large-scale restoration of the oysters with 10,000 oysters deployed
• Since launch, over 90 species have been found living on or around the cages, including over 20 sightings of critically endangered European eels, seahorses and sea bass