Oysters, a sustainable bluefood?

Sustainable food production that meets consumer demands while reducing environmental impacts is a critical societal challenge. The seafood industry, including shellfish aquaculture, is considered a key segment for future protein supplies. Like all food production sectors, environmental impacts of the "blue food” sector are a key consideration. The present study demonstrated that Irish Pacific oyster (Magallana gigas) farming has relatively low environmental impacts (i.e., 100-year global warming potential of 373.86 kg CO₂ eq. tonne^-1; acidification potential of 1.33 kg SO₂ eq. tonne^-1; and eutrophication potential of 0.39 kg PO₄ eq. tonne^-1) compared to other seafood and terrestrial animal sectors. Using ecosystem services metrics, one tonne of fresh harvested oysters can remove, on average, 3.05 tonnes of nitrogen, 0.35 tonnes of phosphorus, and sequester 70.52 tonnes of carbon from the environment, thus potentially acting as a nutrient remediator and a potential short-term carbon sink. These findings show how oysters can offer a sustainable food source and provide local environmental benefits. The study also points to future work which could further improve ecosystem services modelling for this food source.