UNITED KINGDOM — June 25, 2014 — Lobster is not big business for the U.K. inshore fishing fleet, compared with its counterparts in Canada and North America, but it still contributes more than GBP 31 million (USD 52.6 million, EUR 38.7 million) to the economy and keeps a good many small-scale fishermen afloat. According to Seafish, stocks of European lobster in U.K. coastal waters are currently in a satisfactory state, with stable or increasing catch rates, and no sign of imminent decline in recruitment of young lobsters into the stock.
However, there is always room for improvement, and U.K. fishermen point to the fact that demand outstrips supply, especially in December, when the market in Europe increases significantly. They also feel that greater effort could be made to sell European lobster in the U.K. retail market, instead of importing American lobster, although price is a major factor in this.
One company hoping to increase lobster landings is National Lobster Hatchery in Cornwall, whose laboratory and visitor center is adjacent to TV celebrity chef Rick Stein’s famous Seafood Restaurant. It is a pioneering marine conservation, research and education charity, whose main aim is to help conserve vulnerable lobster populations and preserve coastal marine biodiversity.
Dom Boothroyd, general manager, explained that lobster stocks in other countries are vulnerable and that both the Scandinavian and Mediterranean stocks have completely collapsed and are yet to recover.
“We have established ourselves as a center for excellence in lobster science and our research is cited all around the world. Through this we hope to develop better techniques to help re-establish lobster populations where they have declined, and to increase fisheries in areas where catches are poor,” he said. “We know we can’t feed the world, but we can make a contribution by providing a successful fisheries management tool that will help sustain the future of our seas and the coastal communities that rely on the lobster fishery for their livelihood.”
The European lobster is slow to grow and can live to more than 100 years old, without showing any signs of ageing, and still being good to eat. The hatchery has also found that older lobsters also produce more eggs than younger specimens.