Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General Objective:

RemediOS has as a general objective the use of bivalves in bioremediation actions (nature-based solutions, NbS) in degraded ecosystems by applying the techniques of their aquaculture. RemediOS has focused on the flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, as a species to be assessed and the salt lagoon of the Mar Menor as a case study.

Specific objectives:

• To assess the possibility of producing flat oyster seed, Ostrea edulis, from broodstock from the Mar Menor lagoon, through a proof of concept to be developed at the IEO facilities in the Mar Menor.
• Inclusion of RemediOs in the NORA network through collaboration with the European cooperation project HATCHERIES.
• Transfer of the results of the proof of concept to the administrations (local, regional and national) involved in the management of the uses of the Mar Menor.
• Development of activities with the Fishermen’s Guild of San Pedro del Pinatar on the past and future of the fishery and aquaculture of the flat oyster of the Mar Menor.
• Dissemination (citizen science talks) and demonstration (in situ activities) of the ecosystem services provided by the bivalves, and the results obtained in the test.
• Holding of a Closing Day of RemediOS with the participation of members of TNC and NORA.

1. Collection and characterization of the Mar Menor flat oyster population.
2. Establish the optimal conditions for the conditioning of the broodstock and stimulation of larval laying.
3. Determination of larval culture conditions.
4. To determine the optimal conditions for pre-fattening in hatcheries of the post-larvae.
5. Transfer of the seed to the salt flats of Marchamalo, where the Association of Naturalists of the Southeast (ANSE) will be in charge of its fattening under controlled conditions.
6. Interaction between the RemediOs project and NORA working groups.
7. Participate in the HATCHERIES project.
8. Development of a seed production protocol based on the results of the Objective 1 Tasks.
9. Preparation of an information document on bivalve bioremediation initiatives.
10. Meetings with the technicians and heads of the departments of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries of the riverside municipalities.
11. Meetings with CARM technicians and managers.
12. Meetings with the technicians and managers of MITECO and MAPA.
13. Carrying out a historical study of the oyster bank of the Mar Menor.
14. Prepare an informative video of the Project.
15. Development of workshops with fishermen.
16. Installation of information panels on the Mar Menor oyster fishery at the Museum of the Sea of the Fishermen’s Guild of San Pedro del Pinatar.
17. Adaptation of the informative material available in NORA.
18. Development of its own and specific informative material on the Mar Menor.
19. Creation of the RemediOS website.
20. Informative talks in educational centers of the riverside municipalities, in the facilities of the Marchamalo salt flats of the ANSE Foundation.
21. Experimental workshops on the filtering potential of the bivalves of the Mar Menor.
22. Ciencia-Ciudadana: Breakfast with oysters. Informative talks on bioremediation will be organized.
23. Collecting flat oyster shells from riverside restaurants.
24. Organization of the RemediOS Conference.

RemediOS has consisted of a proof of concept to assess whether it is possible to produce flat oyster seed from broodstock in the Mar Menor using aquaculture techniques. To this end, an experimental hatchery was built with a double function:

• The production of the seed.
• Disclosure of the ecosystem services of oyster reefs.

From just 36 broodstock, almost 60 million larvae were obtained over 4 months (March-June 2022). The percentage of larval survival was 44% and the success rate of fixation was 13%. Of the total number of larvae that could be kept in culture (12 million), almost 700,000 postlarvae were obtained.

At the moment, there are 32,000 oyster seeds of a size between 10-30 mm, of these, a part have been kept in the RemediOS hatchery and another part is anchored in oyster baskets in the pontoons near the IEO, waiting to be transferred to the salt flats of Marchamalo.

RemediOS has intensified and consolidated its participation in the European alliance for the recovery of European oyster stocks, Ostrea edulis, NORA, being one of the projects linked to this network. An international webinar was organized within the framework of the United Nations Ocean Decade. Scientists on the RemediOS team lead NORA working groups and serve on the NORA Board of Directors.

The transfer activities of RemediOS have been directed, on the one hand, to the administrations and, on the other, to the fishermen of the Mar Menor. Specific conferences have been organized for the riverside municipalities, the regional and national administration. RemediOS has been visited by important representatives of all administrations, highlighting the Minister of Science.

Work has been done with fishermen at two levels:

• Recovering the memory of the oyster bank that developed in the Mar Menor during the 80s and 90s.
• Carrying out explanatory workshops on bivalve aquaculture, their environmental value and examples of the use of bivalves as nutrient bioextractors in degraded ecosystems.

The dissemination work has been aimed at the educational centers in the area, the nautical centers and the restaurants. In addition, RemediOS has been one of the projects participating in the IDIES project for initiation to research for secondary school students, obtaining an award from the Academy of Sciences of the Region of Murcia.

To put an end to the RemediOS project, the Closing Day was held on September 15 at the Roman Theater of Cartagena with the participation of 12 international and national scientists. The Conference took place in the Final Week of RemediOS where various scientific activities highlighted the potential of oysters in the recovery of the Mar Menor. Boze Hancock, from the TNC (The Nature Conservancy), one of the most prominent experts in oyster restoration, was present