Orkney Shellfish Hatchery has taken delivery of its first lobster broodstock, as it looks to produce its first clawed lobsters on land.
The Lamb Holm company’s hatchery team has been adjusting the broodstock to hatchery conditions using the Hatchery-in-a-Box system developed by hatchery equipment supplier Ocean On Land Technology. This solution supports the land-based culturing of clawed lobsters on land, from holding and conditioning of the broodstock to the production of juveniles.
The small-footprint multispecies shellfish hatchery, which forms part of the Cadman Capital Group’s Aquaculture Division, also features Aquahive, which it said can drastically increase juvenile lobster survival rates, resulting in stronger and healthier lobster juveniles.
“At Orkney Shellfish Hatchery, we are excited to launch our clawed lobster production project, as we begin to introduce a second species to the hatchery. As well as culturing clawed lobsters, we will continue to refine our techniques and technologies in order to produce specialist shellfish in a world-class facility,” Cadman Capital Group Aquaculture Division Managing Director Nik Sachlikidis said.
In August, the facility brought in the first of its native flat oyster broodstock from an offsite quarantine area to also produce the species on land. In addition to strict movement protocols, this undertaking has required it to treat the broodstock wastewater with a three-step process of micro-filtration, followed by ultraviolet filtration and chlorination/neutralization to kill potential pathogens such as viruses and bacteria.
Additionally, a secondary wastewater filtration system, designed to treat all of the hatchery’s wastewater for potential pathogens before discharge, will be built. This is expected to be commissioned and installed in the coming months.
U.K.-based Ocean On Land Technology is also part of the Cadman Capital Group’s Aquaculture Division. In May this year, it relocated its operations to a new facility in the village of Grendon, Northamptonshire.
Photo courtesy of Ocean On Land Technology/Orkney Shellfish Hatchery
