The National Lobster Hatchery’s never ending quest to improve juvenile lobster production. At the National Lobster Hatchery, we are always looking for ways to improve our marine conservation methods, in particular our lobster stock enhancement programme. One way in which we are doing this is to improve our lobster culture techniques through research and innovation. Believe it or not, much of the technology for rearing baby lobsters has not changed since the 1970’s and 80’s when methods for culturing American lobsters were transferred to the European lobster. However, much of the production pro ..read more

As a small, but mighty charity for over twenty years, our local community here in Cornwall has been and is vital to our success. Without the support of our fisher network, the lovely visitors to our Padstow based centre, and supportive businesses that partner with our organisation we simply couldn’t carry out our work. As we begin another exciting year we are delighted to welcome Aspects Holidays as a corporate sponsor of The National Lobster Hatchery. Aspects Holidays support will be vital in the release of hundreds of baby lobsters this year. Plus raising awareness of our work, and a unique ..read more

Our small but mighty charity and centre of excellence is looking to grow its board of trustees. Next year sees our 25th anniversary here in Padstow, and there has never been a more exciting time to join the organisation to support conservation here in Cornwall. For further information including deadlines, commitment and desired experience please see below pack. We look forward to hearing from you. Trustee-Recruitment-Pack-The-NLH-1Download The post We are recruiting Trustees! appeared first on National Lobster Hatchery ..read more

Over 10 years ago, Ben had an idea; to build a giant tank that would represent life in a Cornish reef and demonstrate the interactions between different species. Over a year ago the team put the wheels in motion and the project was fondly named ‘TankTopia’ from there, the hard work began. Spaces were measured, quotes were received and funding applications were submitted. With The NLH being a small charity we were aware that it was going to be a big challenge from the outset. Some of these challenges included fundraising in the current cost of living crisis, added to the mix the ever increasing ..read more

Christmas Crafts at The National Lobster Hatchery! On set weekends throughout November and December, come and get involved in festive craft activities at our visitor centre, and Christmassy fun! Weekends: 24th – 26th November – Christmas cards 1st – 3rd December – Christmas tree decorations 8th – 10th December – Christmas cards 15th – 17th – Christmas paper chains and snowflakes 22nd – 23rd – Design your own Christmas eve plate 29th – 31st – Design New Years party hats All included in existing and entry passes Guardian led Buy tickets The post Christmas Crafts appeared first on Nationa ..read more

Dr Carly Daniels put The National Lobster hatchery on the international lobster stage at the recent International Conference and Workshop on Lobster (and Crab) Biology and management, from 22nd – 27th October 2023. The conference returned to its roots in Perth, Western Australia for the first time since 1976, seeing 180 delegates from 20 countries around the world! The purpose of the conference, was to all come together to share and discuss current biology, fisheries, management and conservation across multiple commercially important crustacean species with Ecosystem based fisheries management ..read more

This winter we are excited to announce the introduction of our very first Winter Pass – giving families of 4, unlimited access to our visitor centre from November the end of February 2024.  During a difficult financial time, we wanted to create a cost-effective way for families to enjoy our visitor centre, without pinching the pennies, through the off-peak season. For just £10,  two adults and two children, can visit us through the months November – February. Enjoy entry to our award-winning centre in Padstow at a significantly reduced rate – get up close with rarely seen lobster bab ..read more

LENDING A CLAW TO LOBSTER CONSERVATION “Larval Culture Innovation – Lending a claw to lobster conservation” aims to improve the NLH’s ability to grow juvenile lobsters to enhancing our conservation outputs in terms of lobster stock enhancement. The aim is to improve larval survival rates in our lobster production systems. Funding, provided by Sea-Changers, will allow the NLH to realise designs that have been born in house from over two decades of experience in culturing lobster. These innovations we aim to increase existing larval survival by as much as 100%, which if rolled out across our hat ..read more

A question that we regularly get asked by our visitors, and although there is no simple answer, we hope to offer a deeper understanding of lobsters and their growth. Amongst most species age is based on size, however this can be difficult with lobsters due their moulting stages. From day 1, a lobster moults their exoskeleton. This is due to the shell being hard and rigid, therefore shedding of the shell allows the lobster to grow. As this process occurs throughout their life, they are either preparing or recovering from this moulting process. This occurs in both male and female lobsters, howev ..read more

Climate Cycle: 3,000 miles, 3 months, 3 projects, 1 bamboo bike. Kate Strong is an ex-engineer, world record holder, triathlete, and overall wonderful human being who we had the pleasure of welcoming to our visitor centre in Padstow. 10 years ago, Kate explains that she ‘woke up’ from the life she was living and ready for a change. She started competing in triathlons and became world champion, only a mere 2-years into her career in the sport, whilst running a guest house and restaurant 7 days a week. Unfortunately, an injury meant she could no longer compete, and so her search for herself and ..read more