It’s the gourmet equivalent of taking coals to Newcastle. Oysters grown in the cold, deep, pristine waters around the famous cockle-shell beach at Barra will soon be making their way to top restaurants in France.
A deadly virus has devastated the French oyster industry, and now the grand cafes of Paris are turning to Scotland to fill the gap with Hebridean gourmet shellfish.
Traigh Mhor Oysters - a new venture between AP Jess, the family-owned Scottish food group, and Isle of Barra Oysters Ltd, owned by islander Gerard Macdonald - will see production leap from six to ten million oysters a year from 2016. Macdonald is also seeing increased demand from the rest of the UK as well as Spain and the Far East due to the virus.
For the first time, the oysters will be branded Isle of Barra Oysters as they make their way around the globe. Previously, Macdonald could only contribute oysters anonymously to the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group.
Oyster herpes, or Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome, has devastated 26% of France’s oyster production since 2008; in Australia it killed 10 million baby molluscs in one day, and though it does not pose a threat to humans, it continues to jeopardise the $4.1bn global oyster industry. A hatchery in Whitstable, in the south-east of England, has also got the virus. Researchers suspect it could be caused by global warming; the Japanese tsunami of 2011 all but wiped out the region’s seed stock.
Unlike oyster farms throughout most of Europe, which grow oysters in baskets in sub-tidal waters, Traigh Mhor Oysters employ a unique method that is similar to that used for growing mussels and scallops. Growing the oysters vertically rather than horizontally allows for more space and helps keep the water flowing around them.
The Barra oysters feed on natural plankton, making the industry sustainable and environmentally friendly. They have a lengthy growing cycle and the first harvest is expected next year.
David Jess of the AP Jess said: “Barra is a beautiful island and one advantage of the site here is that it’s remote from any possible contaminants. This gives a great marketing opportunity. It’s great to know that people can enjoy the oysters in as fresh a condition as possible.”
Gerard Macdonald, director of Traigh Mhor Oysters, studied zoolology at Glasgow University, has a masters degree in agri-business management from the Scottish Agricultural College, is a former farm manager at Marine Harvest, the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon, and is also a former aquaculture specialist at the Highlands and Islands Development Board (now HIE). He set up Isle of Barra Oysters in 2009 when he spotted a gap in the market.
With his oysters feeding on fresh plankton produced amidst the famous cockle-shell sand, their flavour as well as their provenance is unique.
Macdonald, 51, told the Sunday Herald: “This is great news for Barra. One of the advantages of my site at Eoligarry is that it’s remote from any possible contaminants. The waters here are absolutely pristine, which means the oysters don’t have to be cleaned out.
“Being on a natural beach means that in good weather the sand warms up, helping the oysters to grow."
Scottish oysters could become as sought-after as the nation's langoustines and scallops, which are Scotland’s top seafood exports valued this year at a record £613m due to an increase in exports to Asia, Oceania, the EU and Sub-Saharan Africa.
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