The first and only protected marine reserve in Scotland shows promise for marine conservation, say researchers. Adult lobsters there more than doubled in number and increased in size.

Conducting potting surveys over four years in Lamlash Bay, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, scientists monitored populations of European lobster (Homarus gammarus), brown crab (Cancer pagurus), and velvet swimming crabs (Necora puber).

They found that protection in the marine reserve was beneficial for lobsters, with their density, length, and weight all being greater than that found at other sites. Catches of egg-bearing female lobsters were also twice as high in the reserve, and these females carried an average of 22 percent more eggs—increasing breeding potential.

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