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Mar Menor recovery project suffers major loss after oyster farm line disappears
The latest Mar Menor theft has majorly disrupted a vital three-year study of the fragile lagoon ecosystem
Efforts to restore the Mar Menor have taken another hit after a key scientific experiment involving oysters suddenly disappeared.
The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, which is leading the REMEDIOS project, confirmed that an oyster farming line used in ongoing research has vanished from the lagoon. The missing structure, along with the oysters attached to it, had been part of a three-year study focused on improving water quality through natural filtration.
Researchers described the loss as “incalculable”, explaining that it disrupts long-term data and undermines progress in understanding how oysters can help remove excess nutrients from the water.
This incident follows a similar case a couple of years ago when 23 juvenile nacras, a critically endangered type of giant mussel, were stolen from the Mar Menor. With fewer than 500 healthy adults believed to remain in the Region of Murcia, that theft was seen as a serious setback.
The REMEDIOS project brings together several organisations, including environmental groups and regional authorities, with the aim of restoring the lagoon using nature-based solutions. Oysters play a key role in that work because of their ability to filter and improve water quality.
The Guardia Civil has now been informed and has launched an investigation to establish what happened to the missing equipment.
Project leaders have stressed that the oysters used in these trials are not suitable for human consumption and are only intended for scientific purposes. They warned that removing them not only damages the research but also risks setting back wider efforts to protect the lagoon.
Image: Spanish Institute of Oceanography
