Orkney hatchery releases first lobsters into sea
Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, a multi-species hatchery focused on shellfish products for the restoration and farming markets, has announced the release of its first stock of land-raised European clawed lobster juveniles into the sea.
The hatchery is on the island of Lamb Holm, which is connected to the Orkney mainland by the Churchill Barriers, and the release saw 500 of the hatchery’s advanced lobster juveniles deployed directly on to the seabed at the Barriers by expert divers from Kraken Diving.
The lobsters have been raised on land at the hatchery from egg using the proprietary Aquahive system from its Northamptonshire-based sister company, Ocean On Land Technology, and measure up to 45mm in size (from claw tip to end of tail). Juvenile lobsters of this size are considered more robust than in earlier stages, therefore giving them the best chance of survival in the wild.
Proud of progress
Orkney Shellfish Hatchery hopes that by utilising an economically viable lobster hatchery system it can soon offer a lobster juvenile product that benefits the repopulation of wild fisheries, as well as supporting existing and future lobster fishers.
Dr Nik Sachlikidis, managing director at Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, said: “We are excited about the first release of our European clawed lobster juveniles and are extremely proud of the progress that both Callum, our lead lobster hatchery technician, and the hatchery team has made.
“We are pleased to play our part in maintaining and replenishing native lobster stocks in the local waters and this release is a clear demonstration of how we aim to support the valuable local fishery. I’d also like to extend a huge thanks to the Kraken Diving, Orkney team, who we look forward to working with again on upcoming, larger lobster releases.”
Watch a video of the lobsters being released, taken by Kraken Diving’s Margot Watson, here.
Oyster spat
The announcement follows the hatchery’s first successful release of native flat oyster spat last month. More than 11,000 of Orkney Shellfish Hatchery’s land-grown native oyster spat were planted into the sea on the west coast of Scotland by a Scottish restoration project. The hatchery has since made additional spat sales to local oyster farmers.
Orkney Shellfish Hatchery is part of Cadman Capital Group, a multinational alternative investment firm. Cadman’s other aquaculture investments include Caribbean Sustainable Fisheries, which on-grows spiny lobster at an on-land farm in the British Virgin Islands.
