Dún Laoghaire |
Dublin Bay is Coming Back to Life

For more than 200 years, native oysters were absent from Dublin Bay. Once abundant along Ireland’s east coast, they had disappeared through a combination of overfishing, pollution and habitat loss.

Along with them went one of nature’s most remarkable ecosystem engineers – a species capable of filtering water, supporting biodiversity and helping create healthy marine habitats.

The Journey So Far

In 2023, Green Ocean Foundation began a journey to help change that. Our first project in Dún Laoghaire Harbour started with a simple but important question:

“Could native oysters survive, grow and reproduce in Dublin Bay once again?”

From Pilot Project to Proof

The first two phases of the Dún Laoghaire project were carefully designed pilot studies. Small populations of native oysters were introduced and closely monitored to understand how they responded to real conditions in the harbour.

The results exceeded expectations.

The oysters survived. They grew. Most importantly, they showed clear signs that they could reproduce and establish future generations. For the first time in over two centuries, there was growing evidence that native oysters could once again become part of Dublin Bay’s ecosystem. What began as a question was becoming an answer.

Scaling up for Recovery

In 2025, the project entered a new phase.

Building on the success of the pilot programme, Green Ocean deployed 18,000 native oysters in Dún Laoghaire Harbour – the largest restoration effort undertaken by the Foundation to date.

These oysters are not being grown for harvest. They are broodstock: the parent population that will help seed future generations of oysters and support the long-term recovery of oyster reefs in Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Bay.

This marks an important shift in the project. We are no longer asking whether restoration is possible. We are now working towards creating the conditions for self-sustaining oyster populations and healthier marine ecosystems.

This is where restoration becomes recovery.

Looking to the Future

The Dún Laoghaire project is about far more than oysters.

It is about demonstrating that damaged ecosystems can recover when science, community action and long-term commitment come together.

Working alongside our scientific partners at DCU Water Institute, we are building an evidence base that will help us understand the wider benefits of oyster restoration, from improved water quality to increased biodiversity and healthier coastal habitats.

The lessons learned in Dún Laoghaire will help inform future restoration projects around Ireland.

What is happening here today has the potential to shape the future of marine recovery far beyond Dublin Bay.

Have You Visited Our Oyster Trail by Dún Laoghaire Marina Yet?

If you live close by to Dún Laoghaire or are visiting the area, why not check out our Green Ocean Dún Laoghaire project and follow our self-guided Oyster Trail along the Eastern Marina Breakwater Pier.

If you are located far away, that’s no problem too. You can follow the steps through the videos below:

1. Stop One: The Lost Oyster Reefs of Dublin Bay

2. Stop Two: From Discovery to Restoration

3. Stop Three: Growing the Next Generation

4. Stop Four: Imagine the Future of Dublin Bay