60,000 oysters have been dropped into the Firth of Forth

Restoration Forth has now reintroduced 60,000 European flat oysters to the Firth of Forth, doubling its original target.

The latest release of 14,080 oysters marks further progress in the effort to bring back oyster beds, which once covered an area the size of Edinburgh but were wiped out by overfishing and pollution.

Dr Naomi Kennon from Heriot-Watt University said: "I’m over the moon to have reached the incredible milestone of 60,000 oysters now back in the Firth of Forth."

Monitoring by dive teams showed a high average survival rate of around 88 per cent for the oysters deployed (Image: Callum Bennetts)

Over the past four years, hundreds of volunteers have helped clean and deploy the oysters.

Near the end of last year, monitoring by Heriot-Watt University’s scientific dive team showed a high average survival rate of around 88 per cent for the oysters deployed from boats.

Dr Kennon said: "We are hopeful that they will thrive and grow, as those already deployed earlier in the project have been doing.

"Oysters are incredible underwater engineers: they filter water, store carbon and enhance biodiversity by providing shelter for countless marine species."

The latest phase released 14,080 oysters into the Firth of Forth (Image: Callum Bennetts)

Alice Caldwell, a Restoration Forth volunteer, said: "The whole experience has filled me with a sense of optimism for the future of this vital species and for our precious marine environment."

Restoration Forth is delivered by a partnership including Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Shoreline, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, Project Seagrass, Marine Conservation Society, and the Scottish Seabird Centre.