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Oyster diving in Sweden - 23 April 2021

Lotta Klemming is a Swedish professional oyster diver. She handpicks oysters from the sea all year round. She learnt this skill from her family in Grebbestad. There are only a few oyster divers in Sweden. They used to all be men.

Lotta: "We are on the west coast of Sweden, very close to the Norwegian border. And we have wild oysters here so instead of farming oysters we actually pick them by hand through diving all year around."

When she was younger, Lotta wanted a career in fashion. She started working in the city of Gothenburg.

Lotta: "Before I started oyster diving, I worked in the fashion industry for big chains in Sweden and I also travelled around the world. Maybe I didn’t see myself doing it because I connected it very much to a very manly job."

But the sea called Lotta back to Grebbestad, where she decided to try oyster diving.

Lotta: "The first time I picked oysters, I felt very good at it and that gave me a very fulfilled feeling that I never had before."

Lotta loves her job catching oysters. After she’s caught them, she washes them. Then she prepares them for sale. These oysters taste amazing and so can sell for about 7 euros each. But Lotta’s more interested in how they taste than making money.

Lotta: "What makes our oyster, the Swedish oyster so special is probably first of all because of the taste - they have a very intense taste. It’s not like a new beginner’s oyster and just because our ocean here is so clean, it's A-classified."