The Magpie Cafe, Whitby, first restaurant to join lobster hatchery scheme

For every whole lobster dish purchased at the Magpie Café and for every whole lobster sold at the Whitby Catch both on Pier Road, £1 will be donated to the Whitby Lobster Hatchery.

The scheme aims to fund the rear and release of commercially important European lobster, which today make up to 95% of earnings for Whitby's fishing fleet.

The donation will help to cover the running cost of the hatchery allowing the charity to deliver its conservation aims, ensuring we have a viable fishing fleet for generations to come.

Paul Gildroy, head chef at the Magpie Café - which was recently named the best in the UK by National Geographic - said: ‘’It is our responsibility more than ever to do what we can for the future of our fishing industry.

"Joining this scheme enables us to give a little back to help with the sustainability of the lobster fishery for generations to come.

"The vision that Joe Redfern (hatchery manager) and his team have going forward is exciting and we are proud to be backing the hatchery.

"Hopefully more will come on board and support this project as we are doing and help sustain a healthy population of lobster along the whole of the Yorkshire coast.’’

“We can’t thank Magpie Café enough for showing their support for the project," he said.

"With the oceans it is often take, take, take.

"We want to give something back ensuring we have healthy oceans for years to come and the support from The Magpie Café will help us achieve this.”

Making use of lobster high egg numbers and low chance of survival rate in the wild, Joe and his team will rear lobster larvae over the most vulnerable stages of early life.

Once the tiny lobsters have developed defence mechanisms they will be released into the wild.

The first batch was released off Saltwick recently.

They will reproduce with the wild populations, bolstering the lobster stocks around the Yorkshire coast.

People will soon be able to visit Whitby Lobster Hatchery’s visitor centre which aims to provide an excellent education and research institute while celebrating Whitby’s fishing heritage past and present.