CLEANER HARBOURS, NATURALLY
By reintroducing oysters at scale, we are making a positive impact to the local marine ecosystem.
Harbour Oysters is an initiative from Poppy Irving-Johns and Lottie Johns, sisters who are making the most of unused space by installing baskets of native oysters (ostrea edulis) under pontoons and jetties around Chichester Harbour and the south coast of the UK to help improve our water quality and boost local diversity.
Nature's ecosystem engineers
Oysters are natural water cleaners; an adult oyster filters over 150 litres of water a day (up to 200 in a lab!), removing pollutants and stabilising sediments, making the water clearer and more able to sustain other plants and animals.
Native oysters were once abundant in local waters but have been nearly wiped out over the last two centuries due to overfishing, pollution and disease.
In summer months the oysters breed, producing millions of “spat”. We hope the next generations of oysters will settle in the local waters, grow, filter and continue to clean up the waters; helping restore and protect some of our most endangered natural ecosystems.
The figures so far...
Native oysters re-introduced
Litres of water filtered every day
Sites across Sussex & Hampshire
Our working sites (green) and pilot sites (blue)...
Combined expertise in marine science and marine operations
Poppy and Lottie grew up around Chichester Harbour and the Solent, where they have seen first-hand the decline in water quality.
In 2023, using their combined expertise, they began to investigate how to use native oysters – once abundant in local waters, but now severely threatened – as a nature-based solution to tackle polluted waters and oyster populations.
Lottie Johns
Master Marine Biologist and Oceanographer
Lottie holds a Masters in Marine Biology and Oceanograogy from the University of Southampton, spending 20 years working on large-scale marine and sustainability projects around the world. She still consults on sustainability strategy and projects internationally.
Poppy Irving-Johns
Marine Operations Professional
Poppy started her career in the hospitality industry, working front of house in high-end hotels before finding a job with Langstone Harbour Board, and then on to become the beekeeper and head of the kitchen gardens for the Goodwood Estate. She joined Emsworth Yacht Harbour in 2021, where she is now Duty Manager.
Using the power of oysters to restore our local waters
Water quality and biodiversity loss
Oysters are 'keystone species' and super effective ecosystem engineers...
Together, stronger
Sharing resources, expertise and networks with local communities and partners to help tackle environmental issues...
How it started
They didn't know at the time, but this was going to make them the largest installation of it's kind in Europe!...
Why oysters?
Native Oysters provide us with a range of both economic and environmental benefits...
Emsworth heritage
Up until 1902, Emsworth was one of the main oyster fishing ports of England...
FAQs
Clear answers to the questions people ask us most about our oysters and operations...