Business Strategies for Resilience: The Case of Zeeland's Oyster Industry

The article examines approaches to resilience building adopted by 18 out of the 29 active oyster firms in Zeeland, the southwestern delta province of the Netherlands, where a highly dynamic natural environment exposes oyster growing to known but unpredictable environmental disturbances. Survey results reveal a range of actions across three interrelated areas of decision-making: maricultural practice, the business and the household. Closer analysis indicates two contrasting strategies for resilience building: a more cautious, cost saving approach adopted by the smaller oyster farmer' and a more adventurous approach based on vertical and horizontal integration favoured by farmer traders', often involving expansion into other forms of seafood production and trade. The actions of individual firms in seeking to build resilience within their own enterprises is not matched by collaborative initiatives nor, in the view of the industry, by government action.