Six offshore oyster hubs have been installed at the 760 MW Ecowende offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea as part of an initiative to support marine biodiversity and the recovery of native European flat oyster populations.
The hubs were installed by Van Oord's Nexus vessel and contain approximately 3,600 adult European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) and thousands of juvenile oysters, Ecowende announced on November 11.
The structures provide stable, elevated habitats where oysters can grow and reproduce, potentially creating new sources of larvae in offshore areas where their scarcity has hindered population recovery.
European flat oysters were once abundant in the North Sea but have largely disappeared due to overfishing, seabed disturbance and disease.
The hubs also contain specially selected calcareous rock, which Ecowende said research has shown can increase oyster settlement success by approximately 33%.
Over the coming years, Ecowende plans to monitor larval production and dispersal around the structures to assess their potential contribution to the recovery and reconnection of oyster habitats across the North Sea.
The initiative was developed with Van Oord Offshore Wind and Waardenburg Ecology.
Ecowende, a joint venture between Shell, Eneco and Chubu Electric Power, is developing the 760MW offshore wind farm. Earlier in November, the company announced that all 52 wind turbines have been installed for the project, which entered its final construction phase ahead of planned full operation by the end of 2026.