Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery: Small Claws, Big Impact

This exhibition runs until 4th May 2026

This exhibition features the wildlife photography of Lewis Jefferies as he documents the activities of the National Lobster Hatchery in Padstow.  Lobster numbers can be delicate as they are a prized species for fishing.  The aim of the project is to help ensure as many hatchlings survive as possible to be released back in to the sea.  There are strict laws on the size of lobsters that can be landed but it is also not allowed to land females bearing eggs of females that have been marched with a V notch in their tails.  This helps protect the lobster population for the future.

Locally a number of fishermen are licensed to land females carrying eggs.  These lobsters are then taken to the hatchery, where the hatchlings are reared in special conditions until they are large enough to be released.

The Hatchery has become a centre of excellence for lobster research and additional hatcheries have been created or are in development as a result.  One other interesting part of the process is that the DNA of the lobsters is collected and documented.

It was interesting to see the photos of the lobsters.  Some of the photos are beautiful, others are more documentary.  Together they form a complete insight into the process of helping lobsters at the hatchery, from being caught by fishermen, to being released.  Lobsters are a very interesting species and I enjoyed this exhibition.

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