Board of Trustees

Robert has over 40 years’ experience of the Cornish fishing industry and has owned, crewed and operated inshore trawlers. The company Wing of St. Mawes and its brand Cornish Fishmonger, were started in the mid 1980’s, championing Cornish fishermen and sustainable fishing practices. Robert is chair of the board of commissioners who manage the fishing port of Newlyn and is passionate about the local fishing industry and marine biology.

Edwin started his career at sea as a “decky learner” when he was just 15 years of age. He worked on vessels fishing the Norwegian Deeps and the North Sea for the first decade and a half of his career, while working his way up through the ranks. He obtained his Skippers Certificate (Class 1, Deck Officer (Full)) in 1979 and went on to work as master of several vessels around the world including an eight month voyage to the Falkland Islands in 1989. He spent a total of 26 years at sea. In 1990 he changed direction in his career and became a Fishery Officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and two years later was made the Chief Fishery Officer in 1992 for the local authority in Cornwall, a post he retired from in March 2015. Edwin was the main initial driving force behind the Hatchery and has been working on this project since 1992.

James lives at St Michael’s Mount, which attracts over 300,000 visitors each year and is managed in partnership with the National Trust. As well as operating the visitor activities on the Mount, his family business comprises a 600 year old agricultural estate, Cornish Heritage Builders, the Godolphin Arms and the Mount Haven Hotel in Marazion. He is the founder Chairman of Pirate FM, from which has grown UKRD Group, the fourth largest commercial radio group in the UK. He is Chairman of Visit Cornwall, and negotiated the transfer of its operations from the public sector to a community interest company. James also keeps a watchful eye on his seven lobster pots in Mount’s Bay.

Ed has been a solicitor with the Cornish firm of Coodes LLP for the last ten years having previously completed his training at Burges Salmon LLP in Bristol. His ‘first love’ however is marine science and he studied Marine Biology and Oceanography as an undergraduate at Newcastle University. After Newcastle University Ed spent his twenties rowing for Oxford University, Leander Club and the GB national team. He is a double world champion and Olympic champion and retired from rowing after winning at the Athens Olympics in 2004 in the 4- with Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Steve Williams. Ed grew up near Bodmin and now lives near Wadebridge with his wife Clare and four children.

Since she was a child, Amie has had a passion for protecting the environment. She has worked for several environmental charities, including WWF and Keep Scotland Beautiful. Prior to moving to Cornwall, she was a political advisor to local authorities on climate change and zero waste. Amie is currently the Director of Cornwall Operations for the University of Exeter based in Penryn. She provides support to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor to deliver the University’s strategy and vision for education and research in Cornwall. Amie is the Chair of the NLH Research Committee, and brings skills in higher education, risk management and financial reporting.

Currently Head of Care Homes, Elis UK, Helene’s career is uniquely varied across a range of scientific and high-end technical disciplines: immunology, molecular biology, food and environmental testing, forensics, specialist materials testing; with organisations spanning research and academia, biotech, commercial and public sector. Helene has key skills in leadership and management, commercial and contract management, negotiating, implementing change and research, having also presented at international scientific conferences.

She has had a longstanding role as Governor of Halesowen College, supporting education and development of young people.

She has a lifelong interest in Marine life and conservation, enjoys living near the sea in North Devon, and is keen to support the work of the National Lobster Hatchery

Dr Jo Henley is a marine scientist, with a PhD in marine science communication. Jo has worked in marine education in Cornwall since 2005, designing marine interpretation and educational resources for schools, museums and charities across the county. Jo is also Senior Lecturer in BA Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University, where her research interests include ocean optimism, blue health and public engagement in blue spaces. Jo has worked with the hatchery on their educational programme and visitor centre design since 2011 and is now delighted to be taking on a more advisory role in visitor engagement and learning as a trustee. Jo engages with the marine environment in all elements of her life, being a Divemaster, a paddleboarder, the wife of a Naval Commander and a mother of two mini marine biologists.

She has had a longstanding role as Governor of Halesowen College, supporting education and development of young people.

She has a lifelong interest in Marine life and conservation, enjoys living near the sea in North Devon, and is keen to support the work of the National Lobster Hatchery

Carly has been on the hatchery team since 2004 when she joined us as a student to undertake her graduate project. She stayed with the team as a research technician and has been the driving force behind much of the hatcheries research work. Carly completed her PhD in 2011 which was funded by the NLH, the Great Western Research Fund, the Fishmongers Company and the University of Plymouth. Moving on from Senior Hatchery Technician in 2012 Carly became Research & Development Officer driving our research forward and overseeing the research undertaken in-house and by students. Now she is heading up Europe’s largest lobster research project as Principal Investigator of Lobster Grower 2.

Charlie is a marine biologist and fisheries scientist with a broad experience in applied ecological research. He specialises in research and education, especially in areas of crustacean fisheries conservation, sustainable aquaculture, genetics and social enterprise science.

I am a quantitative ecologist, with a research focus in two fields. I study the maintenance of phenotypic variation in natural systems, such as viruses in insects, antiherbivore metabolites in plants, and niche specialists in bacterial microcosms. I also study the robustness of empirical models of population and community dynamics, with application to strategies of conservation management and the exploitation of natural resources. My goal is to lend ecology a predictive framework, and to help explain (and conserve) biodiversity.

I am a career fisheries scientists who started at the then MAFF Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft in 1964, and retired from it in CEFAS days in 2004. To begin with I worked on tagging and assessing flatfish stocks at Iceland and in the North Sea, but also spent 1976-77 as the first scientific advisor to DG9 and DG14 in Brussels during the formulation of the CFP.My association with SAGB dates back to 1981 when I became head of the shellfish science team at Lowestoft when Eric Edwards became SAGB Director. I attended the SAGB committees, and became deeply involved with advice to MAFF, SAGB and SFCs on the containment and eradication of Bonamia, lobster management and stock enhancement, the management of cockle, oyster, scallop, whelk and razor fisheries, and projects on gravel dredging at Race Bank and Hastings Shingle Bank, to name just some of the highlights that culminated in the Walne Lecture of 1999. During that period I also attended the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in Copenhagen as Chair of the Shellfish Committee, and later of the Consultative Committee, which reorganised ICES science in the 1990s.Since ‘retirement’ I have returned to the shellfish fold, taking part in a range of MSC assessments of shrimp and lobster fisheries in North America and Greenland, attending the SAGB committees, and writing contract reports on the Shellfish Industry Development Strategy, the National Shellfish Resource Group, and the Management of Brown Crab fisheries, on which I am currently leading for SAGB.Along the way the SAGB has been kind enough to appoint me as an Honorary Life Member and Council Member, and in 2009-11 I was chair of the Crustacean Committee, and also an honorary auditor.