Restoring degraded European native oyster, Ostrea edulis, habitat: is there a case for harrowing?

Habitat degradation is a contributory factor to poor recruitment and sustainability of the European native oyster, Ostrea edulis. Bed cleaning (harrowing) is a widely referenced but little studied habitat management measure aimed at exposing clean shell for oyster larvae to settle upon. This study c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 2016-03, Vol.768 (1), p.151-165
Main Authors: Bromley, Cass, McGonigle, Ciaran, Ashton, Elizabeth Clare, Roberts, Dai
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bivalvia
cleaning
Ecology
Environmental degradation
Environmental restoration
fauna
field experimentation
fouling
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
habitat destruction
Habitats
harrowing
Land degradation
Larvae
Life Sciences
Mollusks
Ostrea edulis
oyster larvae
Particulate matter
particulates
Primary Research Paper
shell (molluscs)
Zoology
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Summary:Habitat degradation is a contributory factor to poor recruitment and sustainability of the European native oyster, Ostrea edulis. Bed cleaning (harrowing) is a widely referenced but little studied habitat management measure aimed at exposing clean shell for oyster larvae to settle upon. This study carried out a large-scale field experiment in Lough Foyle on the border of Northern Ireland and Ireland over 3 years aimed at investigating the effects of harrowing on oyster spat settlement, substratum condition, suspended particulate matter and associated faunal assemblage. The results demonstrated that O. edulis spat settlement was higher in unharrowed areas and there was no significant difference in bivalve settlement between the two treatments. Harrowing had no significant effect on percentage cover of fouling organisms, but there was a significant difference between assemblages in harrowed and unharrowed treatments. This study concluded that harrowing is not suitable for all oyster production areas and should only be employed with caution.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/s10750-015-2544-2