🦪 Launching a Roadmap to Scale Up Native Oyster Hatchery Production in Europe
Today, we are delighted to launch a new roadmap to support the scaling up of Ostrea edulis hatchery production across Europe — an important step towards restoring native oyster reefs at the scale our seas urgently need.
👉 Read the full roadmap here!
Why this roadmap matters
European native oyster reefs were once widespread, but are now functionally lost across much of their historical range following centuries of overexploitation. As countries move to meet ambitious environmental targets — from the EU Nature Restoration Regulation to national biodiversity commitments, such as the UK gov Environment Improvement Plan — demand for native oysters is set to increase rapidly.
Yet one challenge stands in the way access to reliable, appropriate hatchery produced oyster seed at scale.
This roadmap responds directly to that challenge. It sets out a clear, evidence-based pathway to unlock hatchery production capacity and build a resilient, coordinated supply chain to support restoration and regenerative aquaculture across Europe.
Photo credit: Joanne Preston, Solent Oyster Restoration Hatchery, University of Portsmouth
A collaborative effort
This roadmap is the result of over a year of co-development, bringing together hatchery managers, restoration practitioners, disease and genetics experts, industry representatives and policymakers and regulators.
Through workshops, targeted outreach, questionnaires, and formal consultation, over 100 stakeholders have contributed to shaping this shared vision for the future.
It has been brilliant to work with such an engaged and knowledgeable community — bridging restoration and aquaculture to identify practical, actionable solutions.
Six key recommendations to unlock scaling
The roadmap highlights six priority recommendations, designed to address the barriers to scaling hatchery production:
📈 1. Increase confidence in demand
Building long-term certainty in the need for native oysters to support investment and production planning.
💶 2. Secure diverse investment
Unlocking blended finance — from public funding to private investment and natural capital markets.
🔧 3. Develop a decision support tool
Helping practitioners identify suitable seed types and sources, improving efficiency and planning.
🧬 4. Address knowledge gaps in genetics and disease
Advancing research and tools to support resilient, biosecure restoration.
📚 5. Provide clear guidance on oyster movement
Simplifying complex regulatory frameworks to enable safe and effective translocation.
👷♀️ 6. Build a skilled workforce
Developing the training and capacity needed to support a growing hatchery sector.
Photo credit: Joanne Preston, Solent Oyster Restoration Hatchery, University of Portsmouth
From ambition to delivery
The roadmap sets out a long-term vision to 2040 – a future where hatchery production can meet the tailored demands of restoration and regenerative aquaculture, supported by clear and consistent regulation, strong market confidence, coordinated investment, a skilled and growing workforce.
Delivering this vision will require collaboration across sectors — but the foundations are now in place.
Marking the launch
The roadmap is being formally launched today through an online webinar, bringing together partners and stakeholders from across Europe to share the recommendations and discuss the next steps for delivery.
The launch presentation explores the rationale behind each recommendation and highlights the collective role needed — across policy, industry, science and practice — to scale native oyster restoration.
Acknowledgements
This roadmap is a Native Oyster Network – UK & Ireland output, led by the Zoological Society of London and the University of Portsmouth, in association with Blue Marine Foundation and NORA, and funded by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme (ELSP).
