Orkney Shellfish Hatchery’s first clawed lobsters released into Scottish waters

The first stock of land-raised European lobsters produced by the Orkney Shellfish Hatchery (OSH) has been released into the ocean, with 500 juveniles put onto the seabed at the Churchill Barriers in Orkney, Scotland.

OSH’s juvenile lobster release was supported by local diving school Kraken Diving, with some of its expert divers executing the deployment on behalf of the hatchery. 

“We are excited about the first release of our European clawed lobster juveniles and are extremely proud of the progress that both Callum, our lead lobster hatchery technician, and the hatchery team has made,” OSH Managing Director Nik Sachlikidis said. “We are pleased to play our part in maintaining and replenishing native lobster stocks in the local waters and this release is a clear demonstration of how we aim to support the valuable local fishery.”

The released lobsters had been raised at the hatchery from egg through to 45 millimeters from claw-tip to the end of their tails using Ocean-On-Land Technology’s Aquahive system. Juvenile lobsters of this size are considered more robust than in earlier stages, therefore giving them the best chance of survival in the wild, OSH said.

Last month, OSH completed its first release of 11,000 land-grown native flat oyster spat on the west coast of Scotland in a deployment organized by a Scottish project dedicated to replenishing depleted shellfish stocks.

OSH is a multi-species hatchery in Lamb Holm, Orkney, that is supported by Cadman Capital Group – a multinational alternative investment firm. The company provides shellfish products to the U.K. and European restoration market to replenish depleted wild stocks.  

Photo courtesy of Orkney Shellfish Hatchery