PADSTOW'S National Lobster Hatchery is celebrating after getting a share of funding aimed at boosting coastal communities.
The attraction will get £150,500 to provide four new jobs and fill 15 training and volunteering vacancies to develop commercial species of lobster and run its visitor centre.
Senior hatchery technician, Dr Carly Daniels, said: "We are delighted with our success in the Coastal Communities Fund and this will go some way towards helping us to achieve our charitable aims of education, research and supporting the sustainability of lobster stocks in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly."
The hatchery is one of many to be successful in the Government's first round of winners from its £24 million coastal regeneration pot.
Six seaside projects will get cash from the Coastal Communities Fund, which appears to be hugely oversubscribed. Some 129 expressions of interest have been submitted for this first initial round of funding, and a further 501 expressions received for a future round which covers more complex bids.
Communities and Local Government Secretary, Eric Pickles, also revealed that next year the Coastal Communities Fund will be increased by £4 million to £28 million, a 17 per cent increase on this year.
He said: "There is huge potential in our coastal towns that goes way beyond them only being places we visit for seaside day trips and holidays. We are seeing opportunities being developed all the time by new industries and the Government is determined to help our coastal towns make the most of them.
"This money will help those towns tap into these enterprises and create the skills and jobs that will benefit the whole community. We cannot afford to waste this chance which is why the Government is committed to increasing the fund next year."