‘A bit of hope’: fishers hatch a plan to future-proof Whitby’s lobster industry

An enterprising project in the North Yorkshire port aims to protect the marine environment and safeguard the shellfish population for generations to come

• Photographs by Oli Scarff

The tiny lobsters are safe from predators – including each other – as they eddy in large plastic tanks, swirling with artificial currents. In a few weeks’ time, as part of a conservation project, they will leave their small shed in the North Yorkshire port of Whitby for the open sea.

Whitby is Europe’s third-largest lobster port. About 100,000 lobsters are landed there each year, providing jobs for 150 people.

Fishing vessels moored at the quayside in Whitby, Europe’s third-largest lobster port