DORSET Seafood Festival is celebrating lobster as it returns this weekend.

To celebrate National Lobster Day, which takes place on September 25, organisers at the Dorset Seafood Festival are making the sea creature the centre of attention at this weekend's extravaganza.

The festival, which was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will feature a series of speakers, videos and question and answer sessions from the Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE), a global marine conservation charity working to promote marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries, who will talk about lobsters and how they are vulnerable to overfishing.

A spokesman for the festival said: "Lobsters are still vulnerable to overfishing, but conservation measures have been put in place by the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority. Measures to protect the overfishing of lobsters include a ‘minimum landing size’, and the use of ‘escape gaps’ in lobster pots, which are encouraged to prevent the capture of undersized lobsters and allow them to grow and reproduce at least once before harvesting.

"The ‘protection of berried (egg bearing) lobsters’ bye-law also prohibits the removal of lobsters that are about to lay their eggs."

The ethos behind the Dorset Seafood Festival is to focus on education and better understanding of the coast, the issues that affect sustainable fishing and the environmental impact of fishing overall.

Dorset Echo: Lobster will be the focus of this year's festival Picture: In The Bag PRLobster will be the focus of this year's festival Picture: In The Bag PR

By working with BLUE and other marine organisations, festival bosses hope to impart some knowledge of the sea and all its creatures, in the hope that guests will gain a greater understanding of what to eat and when, as well as enjoying live music and street food.

Stuart Cooper, director of the Dorset Seafood Festival, said: "The whole team has been working so hard to ensure this festival delivers what attendees are used to: a great atmosphere, delicious seafood, interesting chef demos, fun for the kids and, of course, a glass or two of Nyetimber.

"With the spotlight often on our beautiful coast, it is hard to always understand how we can eat seafood sustainably, but our new BLUE Seas feature is something we are all proud of.

"Menus are beginning to roll in from the food stall: crab linguine, barbecue lobsters, pearl oysters, mussels, fishcakes, squid and much more will be on offer."

Entry is by ticket only, which last for the full day. For more information and to book tickets, visit www.dorsetseafood.co.uk