Oyster reefs are temperate equivalents of coral reefs and are the “kidneys” of estuarine ecosystems performing essential ecosystem services including filtering water, habitat and food provision for marine species and shoreline stabilisation. Nevertheless, they have been decimated, with a staggering loss of 85 percent of reef cover globally (Beck et al., 2011, BioScience). The almost complete loss of these shellfish habitats has contributed to major degradation and collapse of estuarine ecosystems worldwide with significant losses in associated biodiversity and ecosystem services.