Put an oyster to work

This particular oysterfunding runs from 10 November 2026 until 18 December 2026. Afterwards, it won’t be possible anymore to get the limited-edition stickers nor get invited to the oyster soirée. 

Your contribution helps to bring the flat oyster back to the Belgian North Sea through the BELREEFS project. The oysters are planned to go into the water in June 2027, and you’ll receive an update when they do.

Depending on the package you choose, you also get a number of invitations to the Oyster Soirée and limited-edition oysterfunding stickers. 

Good to know: by joining this oysterfunding, you support the project, but you don’t invest in it. You won’t get a financial return, but you will create a piece of oyster reef in the North Sea: a legacy that keeps the sea healthy for decades to come, for you and for future generations.

The BELREEFS project, commissioned by the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment as part of the action T4.8 of the LIFE Belgium for Biodiversity programme (101069526), exemplifies this collaborative spirit. It brings together Jan De Nul Group, Shells & Valves, and Mantis Consulting, with guidance from the Institute of Natural Sciences and the Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA), in collaboration with Oyster Heaven and Stichting Zeeschelp, and additional support from Go Ocean pioneers (find them here).

BELREEFS consists of three phases: identifying suitable sites in existing gravel beds for kick-starting new oyster reefs, deploying substrates seeded with oyster larvae, and guiding the development of self-sustaining reefs that attract and support other marine species — thereby enhancing biodiversity. These reefs provide essential shelter, feeding and breeding grounds for a wide variety of marine flora and fauna.

To maximize reef survival and reproduction, BELREEFS identified locations with the most suitable seabed and environmental conditions, as well as natural protection from damage. Detailed seabed mapping, led by the Institute of Natural Sciences, informed decisions regarding the reef deployment location. Furthermore, the project builds on key innovations, such as developing reef installation methods and refining ‘remote setting’ techniques, whereby oyster larvae produced elsewhere settle on reef substrates in laboratory conditions before being deployed at sea. Once deployed, the new oyster reefs will be closely monitored for several years to assess their development and ecological impact.

Timing:

• Summer 2025 – 1st installation of oyster reef substrates
• Summer 2026 – 2nd installation of oyster reef substrates.
• Summer 2027 – 3rd installation of oyster reef substrates (we aim for 275 400 oysters, of which 30 000 can be supported by you)  

The European flat oyster once formed vast reefs in the North Sea. Overharvesting and disease wiped them out, and the Japanese oyster has since taken over much of their habitat.

At the Oyster Soirée, you eat the Pacific oysters while your contribution helps bring the native European flat oyster reefs back to the Belgian North Sea. The oysters on your plate are born at sea and raised by traditional growers in Carnac (FR); The reefs we restore sit in protected areas where nothing is harvested.

An after work moment with oysters, oyster talks, drinks, and music with the oysterfunding community in collaboration with Oyster Gang 🦪 

When and where? That depends on how many people join the oysterfunding. We’re aiming for the end of March 2027 in Brussels, and we’ll confirm the date and venue once the campaign closes. It is possible that you might not be available on the date of the Oyster Soirée. In that case, you can send us an email to gift your invitation to a friend. 

Please note: don’t expect a gala or a fancy party. This Oyster Soirée will basically be an oyster-themed after-work, the Go Ocean style. Good moods, a tasty snack, and the ocean in the spotlight!

The stickers are designed specifically for this campaign and are only included in the Oyster Buddies, Oyster Squad, and Reef Builder packages. They are printed on Ecovinyl and are PVC-free. Two designs: 

1. The world is our oyster
2. Alone an oyster, together a reef 

Go Ocean was born from a simple conviction: the ocean is our greatest ally in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, and it deserves far more support than it gets today.

Beneath the surface, seagrass meadows, kelp and mangrove forests, and coral and oyster reefs do extraordinary work. They store carbon, shelter marine life, protect coastlines and feed communities. But many of these ecosystems have quietly disappeared, and the people working to bring them back often lack the means to scale their work.

That’s where we come in. Go Ocean is a Belgian impact company, founded in 2024, that brings people together around ocean restoration. We connect companies and foundations that want to make a real difference with restoration projects we have carefully selected and follow up closely. Our partners on the ground bring the science and the expertise. We help them find the support to grow, and make sure every contribution leads to visible, lasting impact.

Our vision is an ocean that is restored and thriving, with businesses and individuals as active stewards of the blue planet rather than bystanders. We believe ocean action should be a natural part of how we take responsibility for our planet, and therefore, our future.

For our beloved, passionate students with limited budgets, we have a special package in which you can support 6.7 oysters for € 6,70.

No strings, no stickers, no invitations, just impact. You’ll get a follow-up email once your 6.7 oysters are released into the North Sea.

(Yes, 0.7 of an oyster. Don’t worry: together with other students’ 0.7s, they make whole oysters on the reef.)

The minimum threshold for installation has been reached already through foundational and corporate support, so every funded oyster from the oysterfunding will be put out into the sea.

The success rate of a restoration project like this one, however, increases with the number of oysters. Reaching our goal is, therefore, optimal for the desired outcome: a healthy self-sustaining oyster reef in the long term. 

Go Ocean is not a recognized charity, so we cannot provide you with a fiscal attestation. If you are a professional, we can send you an invoice for your bookkeeping. 

We get why it might feel that way, but no. Oyster reefs don’t stay small. Once enough flat oysters live close together, they reproduce and young oysters settle on the reef by themselves, so it keeps growing without us. That’s already happening: at the first BELREEFS installations, wild young oysters have been found that came to the reef on their own.

Every reef starts with a first piece of seabed where oysters can take hold. The 30,000 oysters in this oysterfunding add 200 extra substrates to the 2027 installation, and more oysters at the start means a better chance of a self-sustaining reef. Each adult oyster filters up to 200 litres of seawater a day, and the reef becomes shelter and nursery for fish, crabs, and countless other species.

So your oysters aren’t a drop in the ocean. They’re part of the foundation of a reef that keeps working for decades. And since the ocean is one connected body of water, benefits from one healthy reef can benefit many other regions. 

You can read our general terms and conditions and the ones for this oysterfunding here. By choosing a package, you agree to them. Questions? Email us at info@goocean.be.