Oceanworld raising lobsters to stop fishermen feeling the pinch
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THOUSANDS of tiny lobsters are being raised in controlled conditions at Dingle Oceanworld to improve coastal stocks and secure fishermen's livelihoods.
The idea for the project came from an initiative currently being promoted in the southwest of England, according to Kevin Flannery of the Dingle aquarium.
"We decided to raise the young lobsters here following the success of the trials in England. When female lobsters spawn in the sea only a tiny fraction of her eggs will survive because of predators and environmental conditions. By bringing in the females here we can guarantee a far higher survival rate when the young lobsters are released back into the waters off the coast," he told The Kerryman this week.
The project began in July when local fisherman Eddie Moore brought a female lobster to the aquarium.
The lobster spawned over a two week period and the larvae were raised in a separate tank.
The tank was aerated, like a jacuzzi, to keep the young lobsters apart to prevent mortality through cannabilism.
Another local fisherman, Mike Brosnan, brought a second female to the centre in August and three more females were brought in by Eddie Moore.
The young lobsters are being returned to the fisherman for release back into the sea.
The Oceanworld project is being supervised by the centre's aquarist Katie O'Dowd.
"By feeding the young and keeping them free from predation we can greatly increase their survival rate.. We released approximately 300 lobster larvae which had already reached their fourth larval stage. This we hope will have the result of later increasing the number of lobsters in the local area," she said.
"Up to 850 tonnes of lobsters are landed per annum in Ireland making the lobster fishery a vital industry in this country. In West Kerry there were 41 vessels participating in the lobster fishery in 2004 with 25 primarily targeting lobsters. In 2004 the landings of lobsters in Kerry comprised 19% of the landings in the whole country," she explained.
The Oceanworld project is not being supported by any State agency but Kevin Flannery believes the relevant development agencies should promote lobster hatcheries on a national level.
