Lobsters claw way back on fake reefs

Baby lobsters have been released on to 3D-printed artificial reefs by researchers to help the crustaceans survive in the seas around Britain.

A team from Bournemouth University hopes the project will show that man-made structures can boost vulnerable species by providing extra habitats.

The artificial reefs are part of an international research initiative called 3DPARE that aims to establish what types of concre and which reef shapes and features, such as overhangs and holes, most attract marine animals.

Little is known about the preferred habitats of juvenile lobsters, and more information could aid their conservation in the future.

British lobsters are classed as “common, but vulnerable to local over-exploitation”. Overfishing has resulted in stocks collapsing beyond the point of recovery in Scandinavia and throughout the Mediterranean.