Current distribution of the residual flat oysters beds (Ostrea edulis) along the west coast of France ...

• Main Authors: Pouvreau, Stephane, Cochet, Hélène, Bargat, Florian, Petton, Sebastien, Le Roy, Valerian, Guillet, Theo, Potet, Marine
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: SEANOE 2021
• Subjects: Flat oyster beds; OSPAR marine habitat; Ostrea edulis; French coast; North East Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17882/79821; https://www.seanoe.org/data/00686/79821/

The flat oyster Ostrea edulis is a European native species that once covered vast areas in the North Sea, on the Atlantic coast and in other European coastal waters including the Mediterranean region. All these populations have been heavily fished by dredging over the last three centuries. More recently, the emergence of parasites combined with the proliferation of various predators and many human-induced additional stressors have caused a dramatic decrease in the last remaining flat oyster populations. Today, this species has disappeared from many locations in Europe and is registered on the OSPAR (Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine environment of the North-East Atlantic) list of threatened and/or declining species (see https://www.ospar.org/work-areas/bdc/species-habitats/list-of-threatened-declining-species-habitats). In that context, since 2018, the Flat Oyster REcoVERy project (FOREVER) has been promoting the reestablishment of native oysters in Brittany (France). This multi-partner ...