Land ahoy for £1m lobster farming

European lobsters only account for around 3% of the world market

Researchers from Swansea University are travelling to Norway to kick start a two year project aimed at increasing the availability of European lobster.

The £1.1m LobsterPlant project aims to create commercially viable land-based farming to meet growing consumer demand.

Baby lobsters are already being reared at the university's centre for sustainable aquaculture research.

The university said the project has the backing of TV chef Rick Stein.

The university said lobsters had always been seen as a luxury food item and the European Lobster, Homarus gammarus, with its particular taste and texture, was by far the most popular.

However it accounts for no more than 3% of global lobster landings at present.

Mr Stein, one of the nine participants in the project, will promote the farming process and demonstrate the quality of land-reared lobster through his TV programmes, said the university.

The techniques developed will also be adaptable for re-stocking juvenile lobsters into the wild Dr Robin Shields

The National Lobster Hatchery at Padstow will also take part.

Researchers say land-based farming techniques will allow lobsters to grow to market size in 18 to 24 months compared to approximately five years in the wild.

It will also offer a steady and reliable supply to the market, supplementing existing supplies of lobster caught in the wild.

The team said until now farming lobster has been hampered by the laborious process of housing and feeding the animals individually, to prevent them battling each other with their powerful claws.

LobsterPlant will introduce modern technologies such as robotics and digital imaging, to feed and measure the growing lobsters automatically.

It is being led by the National Institute of Technology in Norway.

CSAR director Dr Robin Shields said: "We are delighted that Swansea University is playing an important role in this European project to establish commercially viable farming of one of our best known and highly regarded seafood species.

"The techniques developed will also be adaptable for re-stocking juvenile lobsters into the wild, providing benefits to both the Welsh aquaculture and capture fisheries communities."