Project Eisirean.

BBC News presents a nice confluence of language, history, and biology in Lost oyster beds rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language: Long lost oyster beds on the West Coast of Scotland have been rediscovered thanks to Gaelic and Scots language. Scientists searched for the inclusion of the Gaelic words for oyster or oysters – eisir, eisirein and eisirean – and oyster habitats like sandy banks or tidal causeways in place names around Scotland’s coast. They then found an oyster bed that had not been previously documented, as well as confirming oysters could have been present at other sites on Mull and Islay. Native oysters were once abundant in coastal European waters, including Scotland, but now only remnant populations are known to remain due to overharvesting and disease. Ecology and wildlife experts hope to use the discoveries to help rebuild oyster populations in suitable coastal locations. The recent findings marked the culmination of several years worth of hard work, titled…