Lobster 'releasathon' marks hatchery's anniversary

The National Lobster Hatchery is releasing baby lobsters every day for 25 days

A Cornish marine conservation charity has been releasing baby lobsters into the wild to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The National Lobster Hatchery (NLH) was founded in Padstow in August 2000 to help preserve, research and educatedthe public about the European lobster.

Now the charity is doing 25 releases in as many days as part of a "releasathon" to celebrate the milestone.

Theo Johns, senior technician at NLH, told BBC Radio Cornwall it was the "perfect point" in time to release the 300 baby lobsters - each about 10 weeks old and an inch (2.5cm) long.

Mr Johns said: "It's at this stage in their life cycle that they become benthic, meaning they settle on the seabed and live in there [for 12 to 18 months]."

He said burrowing in the sediment was an important stage in the lobsters' lives as it helped them learn how to live in the sea.

The releasaton started in St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, with further releases planned around the county, including one near St Michael's Mount.