Concrete-like “cubes” housing 4,000 oysters have been deployed in the North Sea to protect the species from storms and tidal surges.
Marine conservationists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and nature charity Groundwork released 20 specialised oyster reef cubes, made from six tonnes of sea water-resistant concrete alternative, called Marine Crete, off the coast of Tyne and Wear.
The team are trialling their use as ballasts to secure the native European oysters to the seabed – the first time that the approach has been deployed at this scale in the UK.
