The Wallace family were given the oyster rights in Loch Ryan in 1701 by King William III, and have remained in the family ever since. David and Tristan Hugh-Jones joined the Wallace family in 1996, with the aims to restore the wild native oyster fishery, back to full production.
The Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery Company employs two fishermen full time, who are harvesting the largest oysters for market, and relaying the seed oysters into known beds, so that they are able to fertilise better, producing more spat in the warm summers. The production is at present about 20 tonnes / year.
