Wild Oyster

The Wild Oyster Project 

Restoring a lost ecosystem to the North East coast 

Towards the end of 2025, we will place 4,000 native oysters into the North Sea as part of a wider programme to: 

• Improve water quality 

• Boost biodiversity by creating new habitats for marine life 

• Support the long-term restoration of oyster populations in the region 

Clean water is essential for thriving ecosystems, resilient coastlines, and the wellbeing of both people and nature , and we need your help. 

The Wild Oysters Project is a partnership between Groundwork North East & Cumbria and the Zoological Society of London, as part of the Stronger Shores Partnership led by South Tyneside Council. The project is funded by Defra through the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, managed by the Environment Agency. 

We are delivering a bold innovative project which involves deploying Artificial Reef Structures (ARS) seeded with native oysters off Whitburn, Tyne & Wear, reintroducing a species that has been locally extinct for more than a century. 

Oysters are amazing creatures and along with some fascinating oyster facts below there are also ways you can be apart of this project and contribute to making a difference to our local seas: