Historical oyster habitat and fisheries in English coastal waters
This dataset compiles primary and secondary written sources from government, scientific, maritime and popular media accounts referencing the presence and use of the native oyster, Ostrea edulis, across England, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. From these sources, locations of oyster habitat and fishery exploitation have been extracted, along with, where available, descriptions of habitat extent and timings of population decline. It is published by Defra, with attribution to the Environment Agency (© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2022), and provides a historical record useful for tracking changes in native oyster distribution and fisheries over time.This dataset collates primary and secondary written sources from government, scientific, maritime and popular media accounts that mention the use and presence of the native oyster, Ostrea edulis, across England, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. From these sources we extracted locations of oyster habitat and fishery exploitation, and – where available – descriptions of the extent of habitat and timings of decline. Attribution statement: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2022.
Trust score
How is this computed?Weighted across five axes. Tap a ring for what it measures.
Data schema (16 fields)
Click a field to see example values.
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| year | string | Year associated with the historical record or source.Year associated with the historical record or source. |
| decade | string | Decade grouping for the record, e.g. "1890s".Decade grouping for the record, e.g. "1890s". |
| f50_year_peF50 year pe | string | 50-year period bin covering the record's date, e.g. "1850 - 1899".50-year period bin covering the record's date, e.g. "1850 - 1899". |
| location_oLocation o | string | Name of the location where the oyster habitat or fishery was recorded.Name of the location where the oyster habitat or fishery was recorded. |
| name_of_oyName of oy | string | Name of the specific oyster bed or fishery.Name of the specific oyster bed or fishery. |
| x | int | Easting coordinate of the location in the source projection.Easting coordinate of the location in the source projection. |
| y | int | Northing coordinate of the location in the source projection.Northing coordinate of the location in the source projection. |
| coastline | string | General coastline region of England or the Isle of Man, e.g. south or west.General coastline region of England or the Isle of Man, e.g. south or west. |
| confidence | string | Confidence level assigned to the accuracy of the record's location or data.Confidence level assigned to the accuracy of the record's location or data. |
| natural___ | string | Indicator of whether the oyster bed was natural or managed/laid.Indicator of whether the oyster bed was natural or managed/laid. |
| descr_locDescr loc | string | Quoted or summarised description of the location from the source text.Quoted or summarised description of the location from the source text. |
| descr_habDescr hab | string | Description of the oyster habitat extent or characteristics from the source.Description of the oyster habitat extent or characteristics from the source. |
| fisher_detFisher det | string | Details on fishery exploitation of the oyster bed described in the source.Details on fishery exploitation of the oyster bed described in the source. |
| refer_titleRefer title | string | Citation or title of the source document referenced for the record.Citation or title of the source document referenced for the record. |
| gdb_geomattr_dataGdb geomattr data | hexBinary | Internal binary geometry attribute data used by the GIS database.Internal binary geometry attribute data used by the GIS database. |
| shape | geometry | Geometry object representing the spatial location of the record.Geometry object representing the spatial location of the record. |
Schema captured from wfs 26 days ago.
Query the data
Pick columns and a sort, then fetch a live preview straight from the source. Choose an API-filterable column (marked ▾) under “Where” to pick from its list of values.
Sample data (3 records)
Record 1x: 241498 · y: 57033
{
"x": 241498,
"y": 57033,
"year": "1896",
"decade": "1890s",
"coastline": "south",
"descr_hab": null,
"descr_loc": null,
"confidence": "medium",
"fisher_det": null,
"location_o": "Antony",
"name_of_oy": " ",
"natural___": "L",
"f50_year_pe": "1850 - 1899",
"refer_title": "Cornwall County Council (1897). Report of the Technical Instruction Committee for the year 1896. J. Lander, Helston",
"gdb_geomattr_data": null
}Record 2x: 232302 · y: 496591
{
"x": 232302,
"y": 496591,
"year": "1858",
"decade": "1850s",
"coastline": "west",
"descr_hab": null,
"descr_loc": "\"A few oysters are also found off Ballaugh. Most of these beds have nullipore on them, which is very injurious.”",
"confidence": "medium",
"fisher_det": null,
"location_o": "Ballaugh, Isle of Man",
"name_of_oy": " ",
"natural___": "L",
"f50_year_pe": "1800 - 1849",
"refer_title": "Eyton, T.C (1858). A history of the oyster and the oyster fisheries. London. ",
"gdb_geomattr_data": null
}Record 3x: 614592 · y: 197270
{
"x": 614592,
"y": 197270,
"year": "1860",
"decade": "1860s",
"coastline": "east",
"descr_hab": "\"There are those among the fishermen who also well remember native oyster patches in the Barrow Deep and around the Goldmer Gat and the Sunkend.\" P177",
"descr_loc": null,
"confidence": "medium",
"fisher_det": "\"...the Sunkend. At this latter spot, about 1860-70, the late Greo. Baxter's crews of his oyster craft are credited for clearing out a small bed accidentally hit upon there.\" P177",
"location_o": "Barrow deep",
"name_of_oy": " ",
"natural___": "L",
"f50_year_pe": "1850 - 1899",
"refer_title": "Kent and Essex sea fisheries committee. Report on the sea fisheries and fishing industries of the Thames estuary (Waterlow Bros. and Layton Ltd., London) p 251.",
"gdb_geomattr_data": null
}Live sample captured at profiling time — values may have changed upstream.
Verification Status
Using the API
Configuration
- Base URL
- https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/historical-oyster-habitat-and-fisheries/wfs
License
Terms stated by the source (not a recognized license):
These datasets have been made freely available by Defra and its agencies for your use. You can either download them as digital GIS data onto your desktop, or you can access them as an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Feature Services (WFS).
Query examples
curl -s 'https://environment.data.gov.uk/spatialdata/historical-oyster-habitat-and-fisheries/wfs?service=WFS&version=2.0.0&request=GetCapabilities' -H 'Accept: application/json'List the feature types (layers) and supported operations.
Dataset
Volume & freshness
License
No license declared upstream.