Scottish Oysters and Mussels
The Scottish native oyster population is threatened and careful conservation is needed to safeguard its future and return numbers to a healthy level.
Although once a thriving public fishery producing 30 million oysters per year, over exploitation in the 19th century led to the collapse and eventual demise of the industry in the 1920s.
Today, one of the biggest threats to the Scottish Native Oyster is unlawful harvesting from sea lochs.
The Crown Estate is the legal owner of the majority of Scotland’s naturally occurring oysters and mussels. We work in conjunction with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Executive and the relevant local authority before giving consent for collection; in practice this consent is rarely given.
With a marine stewardship grant, The Crown Estate is working with Scottish Natural Heritage, Argyll and Bute Council and local police in an awareness-raising programme over the endangered nature of the species and the consequences of unlawful removal. Please follow the link for further information on the information campaign.
As with Salmon Fishings, the rights to oysters and mussels form part of the regalia minora; and ownership can be separated from the property itself. As a consequence the rights, even where foreshore is privately owned, may still belong to the Crown. In the past mussel collection consents were granted, such as at Musselburgh near Edinburgh, but these arrangements are no longer current.
Guidance for Collection
Oysters and mussels do not form part of the public fishery in Scotland and permission is required to collect them, in most cases from The Crown Estate. It is very rare for permission to be granted to collect either mussels or native oysters.
In summary, any activity that removes or disturbs naturally occurring mussels or oysters requires consent. An application to The Crown Estate for collection of native mussels or oysters will be considered in conjunction with statutory bodies such as Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Executive and the local authority.
Only by carefully managing activities will we help safeguard the native populations of these shellfish and ensure they survive for future generations.
Other Molluscs
Molluscs other than oysters and mussels, for instance cockles, limpets, clams and whelks do not form part of the regalia minora. There is a public right to collect these shellfish but it is important to note that there is no public right to take vehicles onto foreshore.
Local bye-laws governing the use of vehicles on the foreshore, private ownership of the foreshore and closure orders from the Scottish Executive may limit the manner in which, and the type of, shellfish may be collected.
The Sea Fisheries (Shellfish) Act 1967 provides more detailed guidance on shellfish collection and further advice can be obtained from the Scottish Executive, Inshore Fisheries Department.
Contact Us
For further information please contact:
The Crown Estate
6 Bells Brae
Edinburgh
EH4 3BJ
telephone: 0131 260 6070
 email: 
Sea Fisheries Division
Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
Edinburgh
EH14 1TY
telephone: 08457 741 741
For more information on our local agents, please visit the agents page of our website.
For further information on our Scottish holdings, please visit our Scotland page.
Further Information
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