Saturday, October 25, 2014

Oysters return to Swansea after a century – the revival is welcomed by locals


The seaside village of Oystermouth that overlooks Swansea Bay is recovering from its lost pride – the oysters. The long-departed shellfish, last seen in the 1920s, have returned. History has it that in Victorian times, this village sold the delicacy at markets in London and across Europe dailymail.co.uk. However, the trade died out in the 1920s because rampant pollution destroyed the oyster beds.
The revival of oysters here has made the annual Mumbles Oyster and Seafood Festival more attractive – it brings over 8,000 visitors every year and they have welcomed the return of the delicacy.
Thanks should go to marine biologists who had released 40,000 oysters into the sea last winter in an effort to repopulate the bay. And - the shellfish are now breeding, and hopefully, within the next five years the village would get a new look with the revival.
In the opinion of Dr Andy Woolmer, who worked with Cambridge University on the project, the water now is much cleaner now and that is good for oysters.
Incidentally, not only have the oysters survived the harsh winter last year, but have also grew in size and, crucially, managed to spawn.

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