A Fife oil industry worker is launching the region’s first lobster hatchery.
Shaun Suttie, from Anstruther, hopes his venture will help support local fishermen as well as the environment.
And he plans to turn it into an East Neuk visitor attraction.
Shaun has begun fundraising to help get the idea off the ground.
And it will be run as a not-for-profit community endeavour.
Shaun and a team of helpers released the first 350 young lobsters into the Firth of Forth from seven sites across the East Neuk and St Andrews last weekend.
Eventually, he hopes to provide up to 10,000 lobsters each year and has called for volunteers to get on board.
He said: “I was a fisherman when I was younger and I took from the sea.
“This is a way to put back into the sea.”
Conservation and awareness-raising
Shaun works offshore in Angola and intends to work on the hatchery when he’s back home.
He says there are 103 fishing boats working out of Anstruther harbour alone, supporting more than 150 jobs.
And he reckons the hatchery will help sustain the industry by increasing the number of lobsters.
“It’s also about conservation and helping mother nature,” he said.
At the moment, he is still raising awareness as well as money and he will eventually find a base.
“The lobsters we released at the weekend came from the Firth of Forth Lobster Hatchery in North Berwick,” he said.
“They released about 14,000 in 2019 before lockdown and this year they’re on target to release between 7,000 and 8,000.
“Once we get the experience and know how we’re looking at more than 10,000.
“The idea of going out at the weekend was to drum up community support.”
A number of local people got involved on Saturday and released the creatures in Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, Lower Largo, Elie, Crail and St Andrews.
And in a bid to drum up more interest, Shaun has been speaking at harbour festivals and community groups over the summer.
Further information is available from The East Neuk Hatchery Development Facebook page.
And Shaun’s fundraising page can be found here.
Conversation