Oyster festival’s shell recycling to help last native bed in Scotland

Organisers of Stranraer oyster festival say shell of every eaten mollusc will be returned to bed in Loch Ryan

Organisers of next month's Stranraer oyster festival have promised to recycle the shell of every mollusc consumed at the three-day event to help grow the last remaining wild, native oyster bed in Scotland.

With about 12,000 oysters consumed last year, the circular collection scheme will ensure that this year's shells are returned to the protected bed on the shores of Loch Ryan, a few miles north of Stranraer. This reduces waste from the festival and also creates valuable shell habitat for young oysters. The native variety, Ostrea edulis, has been almost wiped out in UK waters by overfishing and seabed trawling.