Protecting, Pioneering, Inspiring

Welcome to The National Lobster Hatchery

The National Lobster Hatchery is a marine conservation, research and education charity based in Padstow, Cornwall, UK. What makes us unique is that our work is specifically related to a commercial species – The European Lobster and in the last few decades we have successfully established ourselves as a centre of expertise on a global scale.

Marine Conservation in Action

Lobster is worth a huge amount in terms of both its economic and social importance. Consequently they are subject to considerable fishing pressure and vulnerable to catastrophic stock collapse. Our pioneering project working alongside the fishing community to proactively support sustainability and conserve stocks has established us as world leaders in our field.

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News & Events

Lobster Love: Rick Stein’s

We’re excited to announce that Rick Stein’s Summer of Shellfish campaign has raised a fantastic £8,250 for The National Lobster Hatchery! This summer, Rick Stein’s restaurants pledged to donate £1 […]

Live Lobster Moult!

In an exciting first for The National Lobster Hatchery, one of our European Lobsters was captured live on camera moulting – an extraordinary and rarely seen stage of a lobster’s […]

Genetic Clues in Conservation

Since last summer, the NLH has been working hard on the DEFRA-funded Genetic Management of Lobster Releases (GEMALOR) research project, led by the University of Exeter. As leaders in lobster […]