The SBC report made reference to visitor receipts, regeneration benefits (to who?), educational and research benefits. Glaringly obvious, however, was that no mention was made of any benefits or the pitfalls of such a scheme to the local shellfishing industry, particularly discouraging when SBC intend using the local fishing industry as the vehicle with which to gain grant funding for the project.

When it comes to undertaking the viability study into the feasibility of this ambitious project, it’s to be hoped that SBC will conduct in tandem with their consultations with the academics, tourism agencies and the regional development agency a similar fully inclusive consultation with local fishermen and processors alike as to the likely impact this project could well make to their livelihoods, both for now and in the future.

To the public at large, however, it should be borne in mind that lobsters are by no means an endangered species, far from it. This can be borne out by not only the lobster landing volumes but also the large volume of undersized lobsters caught locally by fishermen and returned to the seabed unharmed – but also having had a good feed prior to release.

Today’s quayside prices for lobsters reflect these high volumes and are at probably the lowest seen for many years for fishermen along this coast. Retail prices, however, still demonstrate that lobsters are still seen and valued as a luxury commodity by the general public.

With the above in mind, it’s small wonder that local fishermen are sceptical of the value of such a project to the local fishing industry or even beneficial to the ecology as a whole in the seas stretching from Whitby to Bridlington and possibly beyond.

Therefore, perhaps SBC and its partners could demonstrate to the local fishing industry just what the benefits would be of the hatchery to fishermen - already beleaguered by high fuel costs, high bait costs, unfair harbour dues; that is other than visitor receipts, regeneration benefits, educational and research benefits.

Many skippers and boat owners who obviously have a vested interest on this subject realise as much if not more than anyone the need to encourage any sustainable fishing industry. The lobster fishery is already recognised as being one of the better self-sustaining fisheries known, just for the reasons outlined above, lobsters get caught daily and if for whatever reason they’re unfit for sale, whether they be undersize or missing claws, soft shelled or whatever are returned back to the sea and unharmed to live to fight another day.

Will someone from SBC therefore explain to Scarborough fishermen just what’s in this for them, when there are already lobsters in abundance and likely to be into the foreseeable future?

I would ask therefore what SBC intend to do with the lobsters from the hatchery once they reach maturity or of a size to allow them to enable them to survive after release back into the wild.