Oysters and the Adriatic: an ancient bond. At Casa Matha, a talk on the European flat oyster and the MER Project
Date: 02 MARCH 2026 from 17:00 to 19:00
Casa Matha in Ravenna, as part of the AMBIENTE 2026 course “Changes”, will host on Monday 2 March at 5:00 pm in the Aula Magna (Piazza Andrea Costa 3) the event “Oysters and the Adriatic: an ancient bond”, dedicated to the history, ecological value and future of the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis), the only truly native oyster species of the Adriatic Sea.
Coordinated by Piergiorgio Vasi, the meeting will explore how this once-abundant species can once again become a key element of coastal ecosystems thanks to the activities of the MER Project – Marine Ecosystem Restoration, funded by Italy’s PNRR and implemented by ISPRA.
The MER programme is among the most significant European initiatives for restoring European flat oyster habitats, which are classified as “endangered” in the European Red List of Marine Habitats. The project involves five Adriatic regions—Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Abruzzo—and includes:
reintroduction of adult broodstock oysters (from aquaculture or sustainable fisheries);
deployment of suitable substrates to support the rebuilding of new oyster beds;
promotion of “natural recruitment” of larvae through collectors;
hatchery production of up to 1 million juvenile oysters to be released back into the sea.
In broodstock parks, more than 300,000 larvae have already been produced, with particularly promising preliminary results in the northern Adriatic.
Guest speaker
Otello Giovanardi – marine biologist, former ISPRA senior technologist, expert in fisheries and aquaculture; he currently collaborates scientifically with CNR IRBIM.
Massimo Ponti – Associate Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Bologna (BiGeA Department); he coordinates the Master’s Degree in Marine Biology and researches coastal habitats and marine biodiversity conservation.
