Site Visit at Bambous Virieux- Restoration of Native Oyster Population Project on 22nd November 2023

The Project “Restoration of Native Oyster Population” was received under the Special Call for Proposals - Building Blue Resilience from Persand Royal Co. Ltd and it was led by Mr Khemraj Persand. The project activities aimed at returning degraded oyster habitats which was affected by the MV Wakashio Oil Spill in 2020 to their prior conditions, and the construction of new oyster habitats of various forms and construction materials. The Project consisted of two key phases. Phase 1 involved the manufacturing of spat collectors, deployment of spat collectors, collection of spat and breeding of 100,000 juveniles at Petit Barachois, Poudre d’or. Phase 2 involved the transfer of 100,000 juvenile oysters to the two identified sites: (a) Bambous Virieux and (b) Vieux Grand Port.

The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin; the Chief Government Whip, Mrs Naveena Ramyad; the Chairperson of the MRIC, Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon; the Executive Director of the MRIC, Prof Theesan Bahorun and other personalities participated in an event at the Bambous Virieux for the release of Juvenile Oysters into the sea to restore the marine ecosystem. Around 100,000 oysters were released in the sea during the event on 22nd November 2023.

The Hon Minister Balgobin stated that oysters form an important part of the marine biodiversity and are filter feeders which help in removing excess nutrients and pollutants from the water and therefore improve the quality of water. He also mentioned that oysters helps in maintaning the health and balance of the ocean and in protecting the shore. The Project Leader,  Mr Khemraj Persand, stated  that bivalves are considered to be the main sustenance of food and income for the fishing community. He further added that the sustainability of edible oysters in the South-East region has been affected by the MV Wakashio oil spill in various ways such as reduced spawning stock, larval production, spat settlement and absence in spat substrate.Therefore this project has helped in the restoration and recovery of nearshores oysters. These juveniles oysters are expected to be ready for consumption in one and a half year time.