UK | Purina brought ocean restoration into central London, hosting a two-day pop-up oyster bar designed to show how oysters can help tackle declining marine habitats.
Hundreds of visitors attended live seawater-filtration demos and heard from marine experts at Oyster Heaven about the success of large-scale reef restoration work as part of the collaboration with Purina in the Netherlands, as well as the work underway in the UK.
In partnership with marine conservation organisation Oyster Heaven, Purina will support the restoration of native oyster reefs, a species once widespread in UK waters but now largely absent.
This will include plans to deploy four million oysters off the Norfolk coast to support biodiversity and improve water quality.
Native European oysters were once abundant along the UK coastline, but with the near disappearance of the species from UK waters in the past century, this ecosystem function has been lost. The reintroduction of four million oysters over the next couple of years through reef-building is expected to significantly restore water clarity along the Norfolk Coast while also boosting biodiversity.
One oyster can filter and clean up to 200 litres of seawater a day, and as the water clears, seagrass can grow, more marine life returns, and entire habitats begin to recover. Cleaner waters support healthier ecosystems, stronger fish stocks and, ultimately, a more sustainable food system for pets and the people who love them.
Beyond oysters, Purina will also support projects that help restore kelp forests and seagrass meadows across Europe as part of its wider Ocean Restoration Programme.
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