SHETLAND OYSTER TRADE – WHICH HAD BEEN DORMANT SINCE THE 19TH CENTURY – SPRUNG TO LIFE AGAIN WHEN WINSTON BROWN DISCOVERED THOUSANDS OF NATIVE OYSTER SHELLS UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR OF HIS CROFTHOUSE BARN IN WEISDALE VOE, SHETLAND. HIS INTEREST WAS PEAKED AND SO HIS JOURNEY TO REINTRODUCE OYSTERS TO WEISDALE VOE BEGAN.
We see the positive benefits that oysters bring to the marine environment and appreciate the low visual impact of the structures required to grow the oysters, and so, we decided to trial cultivation on the shores of our croft on the West Side of the Shetland Mainland.
After much learning, we have now mastered the oyster farming and harvesting process – in 2020, we established Shetland Oyster.
Today, we proudly operate from our family croft, cultivating half a million native European and Pacific oysters to maturity in the cool and clean waters of Weisdale Voe.
Native and pacific oysters grown in the crystal-clear waters of Weisdale Voe
Naturally grown in the waters of Weisdale Voe, the Shetland Oyster Company’s Native European and Pacific oysters are renowned for their size, flavour and texture.
The native oyster is the subject of a UK Biodiversity Action Plan, the Native Oyster Species Action Plan (NOSAP). Our goal is to develop a method to establish a brood stock of native oysters and collect spatfall for possible future regeneration projects.
We plan to supply broodstock late 2024 /25 to a hatchery on the West Coast of Scotland who are keen to use our native oysters for future regeneration projects. We are extremely keen to hear from organisations interested in native oyster conservation.
PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH US
t: 07766 198156
e: info@shetlandoyster.com