Download Factsheet shellfish reefs

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Shellfish reefs
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and their keyrole in
the North Sea
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Shellfish reefs contribute
to the restoration of the
North Sea ecosystem.
Biodiversity in and
around reefs is twice as
high as on sandy sea
floors.
A Shellfish reefs provide
shelter for juvenile fish
and serve as nursery
grounds.
B Oysters and mussels
provide an attachment
substrate for marine
invertebrates and plants.
C Shellfish filter
seawater. This improves
water quality and
visibility, benefitting
visual hunters such as
terns and predatory fish.
Scuba divers also benefit.
D Worldwide, shellfish
reefs contribute to natural
coastal protection. Shellfish
remove suspended
sediments and algae from
the water, and deposit
this material around their
shells. This way, they
promote the growth of
sandbanks and protect the
coast against high waves
and storm tides.
1 Kentish plover
2Turnstone
3 Little tern
4Oystercatcher
5Wimbrel
6Seagull
7 Sandwich tern
8Seal
9 Common Eider
10Porpoise
11 Tornback ray
12 Common scoter
13Sturgeon
14 Common ling
15Pollack
16Seabass
17 Sea belt
18Cuttlefish
19 Cat shark
egg case
20Bladderwrack
21Klipfish
22 Brown crab
23Pogge
24 Common prawn
25 Common squid
26 Opossum shrimp
27Mussel
28Nudibranch
29Lumpfish
30 Dead man’s fingers
31 Common littoral crab
32 Plumose anemone
33 Dahlia anemone
34Starfish
35 Small-spotted catshark
36 Common brittle
star
37 Cave-dwelling anemone
38 Sea squirt
39 Rock gunnel
40Barnacles
41 Flat oyster
Illustratie:
© Jeroen Helmer (ARK)
Restoration of shellfish reefs
Visit our website: haringvliet.nu
Once, shellfish reefs covered about 20% of the North Sea floor, but diseases, pollution and overfishing
have led to a significant decline. As part of the Haringvliet Dream Fund Project, ARK Nature and the World
Wildlife Fund are working on shellfish reef restoration. Shellfish, such as mussels and flat oysters, filter the
water and are food for fish and birds. The reefs formed by shellfish provide shelter and nursery grounds
for many marine animals, and serve as attachment substrate for plants and sessile invertebrates such as
anemones. They also play an important role in natural coastal protection.
Shellfish reefs are vital for marine life and play
a key role in the ecological restoration of the
North Sea. The question is how to bring the lost
reefs back. To investigate this, we are planting
mussels and flat oysters in the ‘Voordelta’, off
the southwest coast of the Netherlands. Will
they survive, grow and reproduce? The ultimate
objective of this project: creating biodiverse
shellfish reefs where marine life flourishes!
NORTH SEA
THE NETHERLANDS
VOORDELTA
HARINGVLIET
This project is made possible
in part by
The Haringvliet
Dream Fund Project
Towards a
dynamic delta
The Haringvliet used to be a large inlet of the
North Sea and an important estuary of the RhineMeuse delta. It is located in the province of SouthHolland, between the islands of Voorne-Putten
and Hoeksche Waard to the north and GoereeOverflakkee to the south. In 1971 the Haringvliet
was closed off by the Haringvliet dam, changing
the dynamic delta ecosystem into a freshwater
lake. From 2018 the sluice gates will be set ajar to
allow fish migration between rivers and sea and to
restore the gradual transition between freshwater
and salt water in the estuary.
In addition to restoring shellfish reefs on the
seaward side of the Haringvliet dam, the Dream
Fund Project focuses on five other themes: nature
development, recreation, sturgeon, fisheries and
monitoring. Along the shores of the Haringvliet we
are restoring nature areas. Once the Haringvliet
sluice gates will be set ajar, freshwater as well
as salt water will flow in and out of these areas,
creating a brackish zone. Tidal ecosystems will
develop, providing habitat for (migrating) birds
to rest, feed and breed. In addition, migratory fish
can use these areas to acclimatize on their journey
between the sea and rivers.
ARK Nature, Natuurmonumenten, Dutch National
Angling Association, Birdlife Netherlands,
Staatsbosbeheer and the World Wildlife Fund are
working together on the ecological restoration of
the Haringvliet, in anticipation of the opening of
the Haringvliet sluice gates in 2018. This project
would not be possible without the financial
contribution of the National Postcode Lottery. Our
ambition: to clear the way for migratory fish, birds
and a dynamic delta ecosystem – for all of us
to enjoy!
Shellfish restoration project partners
Hiking and biking trails, observation huts and
viewpoints will enable everyone to enjoy the
unique nature of the Haringvliet. We aim to bring
back the sturgeon, the majestic fish that used to
inhabit these waters before it was wiped out by
pollution and overfishing. Furthermore, we are
working with the government and fisheries sector
on agreements to promote healthy fish stocks in
and around the Haringvliet. By monitoring fish
and bird populations we will track the effects of
ecological restoration, from the past to the future.
… where
shellfish
bring the sea
back to life