The release was supported by The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and Bryher’s Hell Bay Hotel.  The Isles of Scilly Steamship Company offered free transport on the Scillonian III for all of the lobsters, the releasing equipment and two members of staff from the Hatchery. Without this support, the charity would simply not be able to afford to release in the Scilly Isles. 

Jeff Marston, Chief Executive of the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company, said: “This is another really great example of where the Scillonian III is supporting the local economies of Penzance and the Isles of Scilly. The Scillonian has been serving the route for 33 years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We are delighted to be supporting the lobster release programme and hope the initiative is hugely successful, helping to contribute to the unique natural habitat of such a beautiful part of the world.”

www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk

Philip Callan from the Hell Bay Hotel offered to assist the hatchery release juvenile lobsters into the waters around Bryher and Tresco using one of the Hotel’s boats. The release represents the start of a long-term collaboration between the Hotel and the charity.

Philip added: “Hell Bay Hotel is very excited to be taking part in its first juvenile lobster release. Our 3-rosette restaurant is known for serving the best lobster on the islands. This project is an exciting new step towards a more sustainable future and one that the hotel and all our customers can be very proud of.”

www.hellbay.co.uk

The lobsters were released down a long tube directly onto the seabed. As the boat drifts along, the little lobsters are slowly loaded into the releasing box and then the water current within the box pushes the babies down a large diameter pipe, leading to the sea bed and their new homes.

Dominic Boothroyd, General Manager of the National Lobster Hatchery, commented: “This is the first time that we have released large numbers of juveniles in the Isles of Scilly – we have released smaller batches in the islands a few times with the aid of local divers, but this is the first big one. The seabed down here is perfect, there are lots of areas of mixed sediment with small boulders, cobbles and rocky substrate that makes up what we think is the perfect habitat for juvenile lobsters in their early benthic stages.  The support offered by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company and the Hell Bay Hotel will make the whole process possible by providing the assistance, transportation and local knowledge that we require.”

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