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Conservation... Our conservation aim is to promote the sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture. To find out more about the National Lobster Hatchery's conservation activities and aims please click here...
Education... We educate at every level, from pre school groups to postgraduate including aquaculture modules for Cornwall College and the University of Plymouth. For more information on our education activities click here...
Research... We develop stock enhancement programmes and research the threats and sustainability issues facing Cornwall. For more information on our Research activiteis please click here...

 

Annual Report 2009/2010

Published on: 07/05/2010

The National Lobster Hatchery

ANNUAL REPORT ON PROGRESS FOR THE YEAR 2009/10

CHARITY NUMBER 1105434

 

The National Lobster Hatchery operates conservation, education and Research programmes in the UK that promote sustainability and support our coastal communities; Our conservation work takes an interventional approach to Marine conservation that not only promotes marine biodiversity (by supporting populations of a heavily targeted species) but also supports coastal fisheries and communities by supplementing high value stocks.  Our educational programme promotes sustainability and its importance to the future of our coastal fisheries.  Our Research programme is helping  us to forge the future of stock enhancement work and examine what is over the horizon.

 

1          INTRODUCTION

2009/10 has exceeded all expectations and the NLH has continued to maintain economic stability whilst at the same time, greatly increasing its charitable outputs.  We have had our best visitor numbers ever, having received a total of nearly 47,000 visitors during the past twelve months.  We have been very successful in attracting funds to undertake specific research projects with our partners at the University of Plymouth (UoP), Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)and Swansea University (SU) and have taken a huge step forward becoming involved with a large Framework seven programme.  Stock enhancement work has continued to remain strong as has our educational work.

 

Sadly one of our founding trustees, Dr Eric Edwards passed away in early 2009.  The board wished to honour his memory by naming our research room “The Eric Edwards Room”.  The Eric Edwards room was opened on the 13^th March 2010 by Eric’s Widow, Francis Edwards and is a fitting tribute to a man who was so well respected within the shellfish industry.

 

2        CHARITABLE OUTPUTS

The excellent visitor numbers and the assistance of various supporters who include: Swansea University, Lord Harris of Peckham, Unlocking Cornish Potential, The European Social Fund, The Save Our Seas Foundation, Sankeys Restaurant, Waitrose, The Worshipful company of Fishmongers, The University of Plymouth, South West Water, The Great Western Research Fund (GWRF), The National Aquarium (NA), the Seafood Restaurant along with donations from several individuals have enabled us to greatly increase our charitable outputs.  In addition to this support the NLH is grateful to all who donated prizes or purchased prizes at any of our events this year, to all of the Friends of the Hatchery and the staff, volunteers and trustees who have given their time so freely.

 

2.1       Stock enhancement work

The stock enhancement project has made progress over the past year and the hatchery has also been able to import some alternative larval rearing technologies into the business in the form of the “green water” larval rearing techniques developed in Ireland.  The Hatchery has continued to release the majority of its lobsters through the fishing industry and has concentrated on releases utilising the “Tube” system.  In total we have raised and released 11,056 juvenile lobsters in 2009/10, more than 10% of which were 3 months old or greater.   Several areas of concern were reported from one of our larval production systems towards the latter period of the season which were examined by several independent experts although no serious mechanical errors were discovered. 

 

2.2              Educational                 

Informal/public educational work

We have played an important role in the informal education of nearly 47,000 visitors this year.  Customer survey’s show that 97% of our customers go away with an improved understanding of the importance of sustainable fisheries and 82% leave saying that they would now alter their consumer choices accordingly. 

As well as the more traditional informal education work associated with our visitor centre we have also hosted 13 volunteer placements who have the opportunity to work with our staff and improve a huge range of skills.

                                               

 

 

Formal educational work

In the past year we have continued our involvement with the MSc in Sustainable aquaculture at the UoP and have continued to deliver lectures for that course.  In addition we have been able to establish the Harris Scholarship Fund, a fund that will help us to attract the best students from the newly founded MSc in Sustainable aquaculture to the NLH to work on Lobster Nutrition.

 

We have hosted several placements over the past year including a three month industrial placement with an Aquaculture student from The Spanish Aquaculture College (IGAFA) as well as hosting an aquaculture student from Cornwall College Newquay.   We have also hosted a work experience placement for a secondary school.

 

As well as our commitment to formal education we have also delivered a series of talks and tours at the hatchery hosting over 13 visits from primary schools to over 220 children as well as hosting 9 visits to 136 students from further and higher education institutions and numerous tours to local interest groups and the like.  As well as hosting talks, Staff have also provided 5 talks to local interest groups around the county.

 

2.3              Research

The NLH has come along in leaps and bounds with its research work over the past year.  For the first time we have established an academic committee who will drive forward and direct all of the academic work of the charity.  The committee is chaired by Professor Simon Davies from the UoP who has world renowned expertise in aquaculture Nutrition.  One of our Students Miss Carly Daniels has also been awarded the very prestigious “John Rose Award” for her research into the use of Biotic Supplements in Lobster Culture.

 

We have successfully completed two collaborative projects as the centre for bivalve purification training (NLH in partnership with Aquafish solutions and Andy Fitzgerald).  These projects examined the potential for enhanced bivalve depuration utilising biotic supplements and algae.

 

2009/10 has seen an important project for the NLH; the Framework 7 “Lobster Plant” project.  The NLH has been subcontracted by Swansea University on this project, which pulls in the skills and expertise of partners from all over Europe.  The NLH has specifically worked on the development of disinfection protocols for lobsters and has employed a research assistant to help with this project.  The project has required us to set up a small micro laboratory.

 

The NLH now has two PhD students working on separate areas of research.  The first is as a result of a partnership between the NLH, UoP, and PML.  This PhD is to further examine the impacts of Ocean acidification on the European lobster.  The second is now in its final year and is continuing our work on Lobster nutrition and dietary supplementation.  This work is being funded by the NLH, the Great Western Research Fund, the UoP and The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers.  We have also hosted an MSc project from the UoP examining the post larval habitat preferences of settlement stage lobsters provided with different artificial habitats.  We have also been involved with a foundation degree project at the Falmouth Marine School examining potential sites for cage culture within the Fal Estuary.

 

The NLH has made one un-refereed research publication and submitted two papers for refereed publication during the past year.  The NLH has also presented this work at the World Aquaculture Societies meeting in San Diego, the Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership meeting, at an FP7 project meeting in Rome and at the Shellfish Association of Great Britain’s annual conference.  The NLH has also hosted two international meetings of Lobster Stock enhancement experts during the past year, the first with academics and operators from Norway and the second meeting with academics and operators from Canada and the UK.

 

3.1              Promoting our work

The hatchery has continued to maintain a high public profile in the past year, has been the subject of numerous television and radio programmes notable being featured on BBC2’s “Escape to the Country”.  The Charity was also successful in getting a mention on the final week of programmes of the Radio 2’s “Wogan” show in December 2009.   We have been featured on local radio station programmes on many occasions and in the local and national newspapers, most notable in the independent.  We have also featured frequently in the fishing and trade press and regional newspapers.  Globally, we have been supported and promoted by the Save our Seas Foundation, through their website and an article published in the BBC wildlife magazine.

 

The Hatchery was represented on the “Spring Watch” stand at the Royal Cornwall Show and had its own stands at the Newlyn Fish Festival, the Newquay Fish Festival and the Clovelly Crab and Lobster Festival, all of which were very well attended. 

 

Locally we have promoted our work with the assistance of several organisations.  In the spring of 2010 we held our second fundraising event at the Pescadou restaurant in Padstow which helped us attract several thousand pounds towards our charitable work.  Before Christmas, with help from the pupils and staff of Padstow Primary School, the NLH produced their own set of Christmas cards, which not only helped to raise funds for the hatchery, but also helped to publicise our work and the local school.  During the spring of 2009 local artist (Susie Ray) assisted the NLH by creating a tea towel which we are selling through our shop and website.

 

3.2       Our visitors

We have continued to be successful in attracting customers to the hatchery and are consistently attracting customers through means other than “just passing by”  The table below suggests that leafleting is now a very important means of attracting customers

 

 

Customer satisfaction

Results of our customer feedback questionnaires tell us that the majority of customers are pleased with their experience.

87% of customers rated their overall experience as being either good or excellent.

76% of customers said that the value for money was either good or excellent.

96% of our customers this year stated that they felt our work should be government funded

 

3.3       Challenges to the business

2009/10 proved surprisingly to be even busier than 2008/9 and the visitor centre has been running at full capacity for much of the year.  It seems unlikely that the visitor centre can attract many more customers without an expansion.  Consequently the biggest element of risk facing the business is still its reliance on visitor income and the dependency on suitable weather for an indoor attraction.  The NLH has taken some steps towards trying to diversify its income for the 2010/11 year.

 

 4         Towards the future

During the current financial year we have made significant progress towards the some of the development areas identified in the strategic business plan.  We are in the process of undertaking a Feasibility study into a potential expansion of our existing visitor centre and have also protected our logo.  We have been offered partial funding in order to employ a business development manager who’s role it will be to develop some of the non-tourism related revenue streams that the NLH currently has.

 

In addition to these more strategic areas of development, the NLH will also be expanding its volunteer programme (funded by the LSC and ESF) over the coming year.  We will be assisting an unemployed person back to work with the help of the Future Jobs Fund and will be undertaking some significant visitor centre developments, funded by the Save our Seas Foundation.

We are hoping to focus our efforts on releasing our juveniles through the stakeholders.  We aim to release the majority of our lobsters through stakeholders, with a total target of 15,000 releases.  We also aim to attract 46,000 visitors.

 

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