Historical Oyster Habitat and Fisheries in English Coastal Waters (EA)

This dataset provides information on the location of historic native oyster records and distributions from 1799 to 1924. It collates primary and secondary written sources from government, scientific, maritime and popular media accounts that mention the use and presence of the native oyster, Ostrea edulis, across England, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. It can act as a tool to support local authorities, community partnerships and environmental organisations to make the case for native oyster restoration projects. The layer works alongside the Environment Agency’s Native Oyster Restoration Potential maps that highlight areas where oyster restoration could be successful, and the UK & Ireland Native Oyster Network and Environment Agency’s European Native Oyster Habitat Restoration Handbook that provides guidelines on how to restore these valuable habitats. More information on the methodology used is available HERE. You can download the dataset HERE.