Thousands of baby lobsters have been released in Cornwall and Scilly
Almost 5,000 baby lobsters have been released into the waters around Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by a conservation charity.The releases were part of a challenge by The National Lobster Hatchery (NLH) to conduct 25 lobster releases in 25 locations over 25 consecutive days for its 25th anniversary.The "release-athon" began on 19 May on the Isles of Scilly, and finished with more than 1,000 baby lobsters being released last week near Penzance to mark the final day.The NLH, a conservation and education charity for the European lobster, said it was "hugely rewarding" to collaborate with other organisations and "provide another generation of lobsters to Cornwall's coastal waters".
The NLH raised the baby lobsters from when they were larvae until they were large enough to be released.The baby lobsters are just two to three months old and barely an inch long.Although they are small they are large enough to burrow into sand or seaweed and avoid predators.Theo Johns, senior technician at NLH, told BBC Radio Cornwall it was the "perfect point" in time to release the baby lobsters.Mr Johns said: "It's at this stage in their life cycle that... they settle on the seabed and live in there [for 12 to 18 months]."European lobsters in the UK are classed as vulnerable and the NLH says their work ensures the UK's population is kept sustainable.
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