A study being carried out at the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow has been so successful it has secured investment from the Cornwall Research Fund for a second project.

The fund, which is administered by the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) Business Development Team in collaboration with the University Of Exeter, was set up with investment from Objective One's European Social Fund and had initially enabled a six month project at the hatchery.

As a charity the National Lobster Hatchery relies largely on donations and income from its visitor centre and needs such external funding to carry out essential research. The Cornwall Research Fund made it possible for the charity to take on full time researcher Carly Daniels and also provided specialist equipment, including a larval development room. The extra investment will allow the latest project to be carried out at the hatchery over the next twelve months.

Local graduate, Carly, who lives in Wadebridge and gained her BSc in Marine and Coastal Ecology at The University of Plymouth- itself a partner in the CUC- has been researching how different feeds and environments can be optimised to encourage growth in lobsters after they are hatched and looking at ways of preserving lobster stocks.

Involvement with the CUC team has also encouraged collaborative links between the hatchery with its partner universities and colleges and given mutual benefits. General Manager of the National Lobster Hatchery, Dom Boothroyd, explains "Students from The University of Plymouth, Cornwall College Newquay and the University of Exeter in Cornwall have already undertaken projects here at the hatchery as part of their courses and we are very keen for this to be expanded in the future. In return, we have had access to the specialist marine facilities and knowledge of the CUC partners. We hope to continue to strengthen these links to offer more educational opportunities for people in the county and at the same time conserve Cornwall's rich marine life."