Lost oyster beds rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have rediscovered lost oyster beds on the West Coast of Scotland by analyzing Gaelic and Scots place names. This interdisciplinary project aims to use historical linguistic data to help restore native oyster populations.
Why it matters
Using traditional knowledge and linguistics to inform modern ecological restoration provides a sustainable model for biodiversity recovery.
Image source, University of Glasgow/ Martin Shields Image caption, Gillebrìde MacMillan, Dr Claire Ramjan and Dr Anna McGregor are delighted with the findings of Project Eisirean
Long lost oyster beds on the West Coast of Scotland have been rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language.
Scientists searched for the inclusion of the Gaelic words for oyster or oysters – eisir, eisirein and eisirean – and oyster habitats like sandy banks or tidal causeways in place names around Scotland's coast.
They then found an oyster bed that had not been previously documented, as well as confirming oysters could have been present at other sites on Mull and Islay.
Native oysters were once abundant in coastal European waters, including Scotland, but now only remnant populations are known to remain due to overharvesting and disease.
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