Reefcovery

Large infrastructure projects at sea are increasingly being asked to take nature into account and incorporate natural elements into their design.

The European flat oyster has a potentially important role to play here, building reefs that provide shelter, food and breeding grounds for a wide range of marine species.

However, the oyster reefs in the North Sea have largely disappeared. If we want to use these reefs for more natural solutions at sea, we must first focus on their restoration.

Reefcovery will generate new knowledge that will enable us to design large-scale marine infrastructure at sea and along the coast in a nature-inclusive way using the European flat oyster.

This project strives to come up with various designs that are scientifically substantiated and can be applied on an industrial scale in future marine projects.

The partners will therefore conduct research into:

• Successful colonisation and reduction of oyster brood mortality for newly created oyster reefs;
• Facilitating large-scale interventions with a view to restoring oyster banks;
• Integrating oyster reefs into marine infrastructure that can also function as an artificial reef.

Reefcovery therefore aims to investigate the conditions that are necessary to create new large-scale oyster reefs that can sustain themselves.

Reefcovery is also investigating how innovative materials and manufacturing techniques can support oyster reef restoration. Through 3D printing, the project develops reef substrates with tailored shapes, surface characteristics and material compositions that encourage oyster settlement. By integrating oyster shell material into these designs, the project creates promising building blocks for future restoration initiatives and nature-inclusive offshore infrastructure. In this way, Reefcovery not only explores where oysters can thrive, but also how suitable habitats can be designed and produced in an efficient and scalable way.