An innovation group involving the academic sector and development agencies is helping to find ways to ensure that more lobsters survive their initial growth phase.

Marine-i is helping the National Lobster Hatchery develop a new type of larval rearing vessel, which can be used to improve the survival of lobsters in the hatchery and ultimately help sustain lobster stocks.

The National Lobster Hatchery is a marine conservation, research and education charity based in Padstow, Cornwall, UK. His work is specifically related to a commercial species – the European lobster. A vital part of hatchery work focuses on the larval stage of the lobster life cycle. In nature, the survival rate at the larval stage is very low. The National Lobster Hatchery seeks to improve survival at this early and vulnerable stage in a lobster’s life and release them into the wild at an age when they are less vulnerable and better able to fend for themselves.

A female lobster can carry about 20,000 eggs under her abdomen. However, only one of them should survive in the wild. With skillful and careful application of modern technology, the National Lobster Hatchery can improve this survival rate by about 1,000 times.

Marine-i was set up to help the marine technology sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly grow through research and innovation. With support from the European Regional Development Fund, Marine-i is a collaboration between the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, The Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Marine Network, Cornwall Development Company and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.

Dr Carly Daniels from the National Lobster Hatchery said: “We are currently using modified conical vessels to hold the larvae in suspension. Now, based on our own preliminary work, we believe it may be possible to create an improved larval vessel with conditions that allow for better survival rates.”

Marine-i is working with National Lobster Hatchery to develop an innovative prototype for testing. Marine-i partner Ruadan Geraghty of the University of Plymouth said, “We are conducting extensive research into the best materials to achieve the ultimate goal of improving lobster larvae survival. We aim for materials that are durable and recyclable, as well as strong enough to withstand the rigors of the marine environment.

The National Lobster Hatchery will test the prototype in the hatchery from the start of the new larval season in May 2022, with help from Marine-i partner, the University of Exeter.

Dr Daniels added: “If the new larval vessel is proven to achieve higher survival rates than the vessels we are currently using, we will look to move into large-scale production of the new vessels for future use. It would be a very exciting result. The National Lobster Hatchery is one of the few organizations in the world studying how innovative improvements can be made in this area.