Small oyster or mussel farm

Restaurants, fishmongers, pubs, farmers' markets and online customers who want local shellfish, plus wholesalers.

You sell by the dozen or by weight. Selling direct to customers earns more per shellfish than selling in bulk, but takes more time to sell and deliver.

• Comfortable with tides and weather
• Physical outdoor work
• Careful record keeping
• Selling to food buyers

• Check seabed or foreshore lease requirements, for example with the Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland or a private owner
• A marine licence or other consent may be needed, check with the marine licensing body for your nation
• Shellfish must come from a classified area and may need purification before sale, check with the Food Standards Agency and your council
• You may need to register as an aquaculture production business, check with the fish health authority
• Storms, algal blooms, closures and theft can stop sales, so keep a cash buffer

Startup costs are typically around £10,000 to £45,000, depending on your site, equipment such as trestles, bags or ropes, and how much young stock you buy. These are estimates, so get quotes before you commit.

Monthly revenue is typically around £1,000 to £5,000, depending on how much you harvest, who you sell to and your prices. That is revenue, not profit, and closures or bad weather can interrupt sales, so keep a cash buffer.

Check seabed or foreshore lease requirements, such as with the Crown Estate, Crown Estate Scotland or a private owner. Also check marine licensing for your nation, classified area and purification rules with the Food Standards Agency and your council, and aquaculture registration.