Padstow on the North Cornish coast - July 9, 2008 -

On approaching the town of Padstow, upon driving down the hill to the harbour itself, one of the first sights you will be greeted with will be the National Lobster Hatchery. Their vision is to actively promote and contribute to responsible management of our coastal marine resources and to act as resource for education, conservation and research.

The heart of the National Lobster Hatchery work is their lobster restocking project. Local fishermen themselves bring in “pregnant” female lobsters, to give their offspring the best possible chance of rearing the young lobsters in captivity where there are no predators. Once the young lobsters are mature enough, they are then released back into the wild, in their natural habitat. Visiting the National Lobster Hatchery is really quite an enjoyable experience where you can learn about these marvelous sea creatures. There are also conference and educational facilities available also at the centre whose marine laboratories unlike many marine science establishments are completely viewable by the visiting public.

Source: http://www.padstowonline.com/pages/about-padstow.html