Sustainable food, water, and air -
a million oysters at a time.
Our mission is to make our seas and oceans more sustainable by creating a huge and reliable supply of oysters. As well as supplying a valuable food source, our efforts will not only restore the native oyster and associated ecosystems through restoration, but also seek to drastically help decarbonisation. We aim to help companies achieve their net zero sustainability goals, a million oysters at a time.
Oysters play a vital role in our waters. They improve seawater quality by constantly filtering pollutants from the seas and oceans and create physical building blocks for marine ecosystems, allowing biodiversity to thrive.
Compared to historic levels, only 5% of the natural population of native oysters remain putting them under serious threat. Restoring these ever-shrinking marine environments, which are more effective than trees at capturing and storing atmospheric carbon, is a pressing priority for us all.
Supplier of selectively bred, biosecure oysters for the restoration, environmental and food markets
What We Do
At The Oyster Restoration Company, we are helping nature rebalance the environment. Through the use of our proprietary growing processes, our aim is to replenish up to 150 million European native oysters per annum tailored to a wide range of markets such as:
Restoration
Disease-free and resilient oysters are essential for restoration projects. The Oyster Restoration Company supplies disease-free oysters that maintain genetic diversity to help restore and revive depleted oyster beds.
Farming
The Oyster Restoration Company is selectively breeding native oysters to accelerate growth, increase disease resistance and improve yields for farmers to help reduce the dependency on the introduced pacific species currently dominating UK and European oyster production.
Environmental
Major offshore infrastructure projects, such as windfarms, operate within net zero or net positive biodiversity impact targets. These businesses are looking for enterprises that can help them achieve these targets, and The Oyster Restoration Company is well positioned to reliably supply disease-free, resilient oysters to support their goals.
Carbon Sequestration
Crucially, oysters are a key building block for marine ecosystems. Alongside other marine organisms, such as seaweed and mangroves, they play an important part in sequestering a large amount of carbon. The Oyster Restoration Company aims to supply oysters to carbon offset programs.
A single native oyster can filter up to
240
litres of seawater per day
The Team
James Dinsdale
Non-Executive Chairman
With a recently found passion for natural capital and sustainability, James has over 20 years executive success across multiple sectors and organizational sizes. He has considerable experience of financial and corporate governance, as well as operational execution and fast growth. Although not an expert in the aquaculture space, he has been involved several early-stage businesses in the sector, including lobsters, sea-urchins, and now oysters.
Dr Nik Sachlikidis
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Nik Sachlikidis is one of the world’s leading aquaculture and fisheries experts, bringing more than 20 years of practical experience in the government and commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
He has previously held a range of scientific leadership roles in industry-science based partnerships focused on the development of lobster aquaculture techniques and technology and has worked in aid programs throughout South-East Asia.
In his role at The Oyster Restoration Company, Nik is responsible for the implementation of the company’s aquaculture sustainability agenda and strategy, with the development of aquaculture products, farms, and hatcheries.
John Percival
Non-Executive Director
Underpinned by his extensive experience in financial control and disciplined capital management gained through similar roles at a range of global companies, John brings many years of experience to The Oyster Restoration Company. His skills in negotiation and operational finance make him a core part of the board.
Dr Matthew Johnston
Managing Director
With over two decades of global experience developing sustainable and eco-friendly nutrition and feed solutions for the aquaculture industry, Matthew brings a wealth of knowledge in hatchery and grow-out feed development.
Matthew is an advocate of sustainably and responsibly-sourced feed additives and ingredients and shares our enthusiasm to play a leading role in the global shift towards sustainable aquaculture.
Owain Wynn-Jones
Commercial Director
Having completed undergraduate studies in Zoology, Owain went on to obtain his Master of Science in Aquaculture and Development before beginning his career in the aquaculture sector.
Through his previous roles, including Head of Market Development at Offshore Shellfish, Operations Manager at Southern Aqua and Assistant Scientist at Environment Agency, Owain has developed a solid understanding of the sector at a global scale, from both a scientific and market perspective.
Anna Overweter
Hatchery Manager
In 2022, Anna joined the team as Hatchery General Manager. A graduate of the University of Tasmania, she has over two decades of experience in hatchery operations, and practices, specialising in the larval rearing of oysters.
Bringing a wealth of knowledge from previous roles within the aquaculture industry, Anna is perfectly positioned to ensure the highest standards of safety and welfare are kept across our hatchery and broodstock sites.