Whitby Lobster Hatchery

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

🐚 NAME THAT HEN IS BACK! 🐚

Our latest berried hen needs a name, and we are sticking with the Disney category ✨ Only rule: it’s got to start with E!

Drop your best E-Disney suggestions in the comments below 👇 Elsa? Esmeralda? Eve? We want to hear them all!

We’ll pick our favourite from your
suggestions very soon 🦞💙

29/07/2026

‼️DEADLINE EXTENDED - BUT NOT FOR LONG‼️

🎨We’re pushing the Calendar Competition deadline back to 7th August 2026 - but that’s still just one more week, so don’t leave it too late!🖌️

📸Artists, photographers, sculptors, creatives - this is your chance. We’re searching for stunning artwork to feature in our 2027 WLH Calendar, and we want entries from ALL ages.👧

🧛‍♂️Inspiration? Lobsters in all their glory, Whitby’s iconic coastline, rock pools, the hatchery, spooky Halloween lobsters … the sea is your oyster!🦪

Free to enter • A4 landscape • One entry per person • NEW deadline: 7th August 2026

Link in bio to submit! Every calendar sold supports our lobster conservation work !!

🦞STAY CLAWSOME🦞

24/07/2026

🦞MEET ROBYN & SAMANTHA🦞

Hello! I’m Robyn, and I’m volunteering at the Whitby Lobster Hatchery between my third and fourth year here at SAMS.

I discovered this placement through one of my course modules, and with the support of my lecturers, I was not only able to secure the opportunity but also develop it into my dissertation project. Therefore when given the opportunity to name a lobster I thought it would be fitting to name her after SAMS! My research is aims to improve our understanding of lobster hatchery systems and I hope it will help develop current conservation practices.

🦞STAY CLAWSOME🦞

20/07/2026

🦞TEAMING UP WITH RUNSWICK BAY RESCUE BOAT🦞

“When we were releasing some baby lobsters in Runswick Bay back in June we got talking to a Runswick Bay Rescue Boat volunteer.
After talking some more, Dave suggested we could potentially team up and release some baby lobsters off the rescue boat, and of course we said yes!

We paired the release with the crew’s normal training session on Wednesday evening. Joe Moody (Whitby Lobster Hatchery Head Aquaculturist) and myself (Aquaculturist and Charity Support Officer) prepared 135 baby lobsters for release. Once acclimated, we used a funnel and hose to release the stage 4 lobsters down to the rocky seabed. The RBRB team got involved too, helping to sieve out the baby lobsters and pour them back into the wild.

One of our egg-bearing female lobsters had finished hatching, and so, along with all our hens, she was released back into the sea. We v-notch their tails to indicate that they are capable of breeding and are therefore protected. Her bands were removed from her claws, and she too was released back into the sea.

After releasing the baby lobsters, it was time to get involved with RBRB’s normal training session. Both Joe and myself took it in turns to launch ourselves off the boat and waited to be rescued. Once safely back on board, we headed inshore and relayed our favourite lobster releases and talked about the incredible work of the RBRB over a pub dinner!

We would like to say a massive thank you to the RBRB team for helping with our conservation mission, and for their remarkable work keeping the coastal community safe.”

- Amber 🦞💙

Massive thank you to Ceri Oakes Photography for capturing this special evening and The Whitby Anchor for covering the story!

15/07/2026

🦞GOOD MORNING TO OUR BABY LOBSTERS🦞

🐣Watch to see thousands of newly hatched baby lobsters in our hen room!

Let us know how many you think you can see in the video in the comments 👇We will be back later to update the answer!

Hope you have a great day and

🦞STAY CLAWSOME🦞

12/07/2026

🦞 NAME THAT HEN — LETTER D! 🦞

Our berried hen needs a name, and we’re staying on theme with Disney characters — this time starting with the letter D! 🐠✨

We haven’t picked one yet, so it’s over to you: what’s your favourite Disney “D” name for her? 👀

Drop your suggestions below — we’ll pick our favourite to give her a name! 🦞💙