Oysters, a sustainable bluefood?

Sustainable food production that meets consumer demands while reducing environmental impact is a critical societal challenge. The seafood industry is a key segment for the future protein supply, yet it presents environmental impacts to consider. The present study demonstrated that Irish Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) farming has relatively low environmental impacts (i.e., 373.86 kg CO2 eq. tonne−1; 1.33 kg SO2 eq. tonne−1; and 0.39 kg PO4 eq. tonne−1) compared to other seafood and terrestrial animal sectors. Using ecosystem services metrics, one tonne of harvested oysters can remove, on average, 3.05 kg of nitrogen, 0.35 kg of phosphorus and sequester 70.52 kg of carbon from the environment, thus potentially acting as a nutrient remediator and a short-term carbon sink. These findings show how oysters can be a sustainable food source with local environmental benefits. The study also points to future work to improve the modelling of ecosystem services for bivalve production.