JUVENILE Spiny Lobsters have been successfully reared for the first time through a captive breeding and rearing programme based in the Marine Resource Centre at Anglesey Sea Zoo.

The European Spiny Lobster or Crawfish, known locally as Cimwch Coch, was once common around the coasts of Anglesey, Bardsey and Aberdaron but is now rarely seen in Welsh waters.

It once provided an essential livelihood for lobster fishermen on the Llŷn Peninsula and other areas around North Wales. During the 1980s, the number of spiny lobsters caught on the Llŷn Peninsula declined by over 90% and the species has not recovered since.

In 2012, RAS Aquaculture Research Ltd (RASAR) and Anglesey Sea Zoo collaborated to establish a spiny lobster breeding programme using advanced water treatment technology to tackle the challenge of breeding the species in captivity.

In 2013, grant support was secured from the European Fisheries Fund Programme for Wales delivered through the Welsh Government to commission construction of a laboratory and purpose-built water treatment system at the Anglesey Sea Zoo.

After five years of hard work, the project has produced a number of captive bred juvenile spiny lobsters this year.

Ms Frankie Hobro, Owner of Anglesey Sea Zoo said: “I am delighted we have been able to house the spiny lobster breeding project here at the Sea Zoo for so many years.

"We want to continue to raise public awareness of this incredible and valuable native species, which used to play an important role in the local fishing economy but has become incredibly rare in recent decades.

"With this success, we hope to progress to a stage where we can release juveniles bred in captivity to help boost wild spiny lobster populations in key areas around North Wales”.