Jewels of the sea

Scallops and oysters are returning to Yorkshire waters, reviving a bygone industry and bringing cheer to gourmets, as Bethan Andrews discovers

More than a century ago, the Yorkshire coast and oysters were as famous as fish and chips are today.

The Humber was a centre of trade for the oyster industry, with the largest oyster fishery in the country, employing thousands of people across our county. It was commonplace to find oyster sellers outside of pubs and manning stalls along the coast.

Then disaster struck. In 1904 an outbreak of typhoid was linked back to Cleethorpes and the oysters were deemed unfit for eating.

Hundreds of acres of seafront ponds, which at their height cultivated many millions of oysters, had to be closed by their owner the Earl of Yarborough because of the contamination risk. It was a sad end to the industry.

But today oysters and scallops are being reintroduced to the waters. The Humber Estuary is internationally important for wildlife and is a designated Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area under the Habitats Regulations. ,

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) is working to reinstate oysters, and the history that comes with them, into the Humber Estuary. The Humber Aquaculture Partnership is a collaboration between YWT and the University of Hull, aimed at developing a multi-species site including seaweed and native oysters. James Wood, YWT fisheries and research manager, heads up the project. ‘The thing about oysters is they’re one of those key species, they’re ecosystem engineers – they are a species that have a benefit,’ he explains.