March 2026 Conservation Snapshot

The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) is Ireland’s rarest amphibian and its only native toad. Regionally red-listed as ‘Endangered’, wild-natural populations are restricted to coastal sand dunes and sandy heathland on the Dingle Peninsula. In the wild, mortality rates are exceptionally high, with over 90% of tadpoles failing to reach adulthood. Partnering with Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Oceanworld has participated in a captive rearing program for nine years. Each spring, NPWS rangers collect spawn from vulnerable breeding populations on the Dingle Peninsula and transfer it to the aquarium where aquarists rear tadpoles through metamorphosis before toadlets are released back into their natural habitat – reducing mortality to under 25%. In 2025, the programme reached a significant milestone: from 13,000 tadpoles received, over 10,000 toadlets were successfully released, greatly surpassing all previous years combined. This outcome demonstrated that programme output scales directly with spawn intake, reinforcing the value of strong institutional relationships with the NPWS and active monitoring of habitat conditions to ensure optimum collection timing.

Since 2006, Oceanworld has also operated a European lobster (Homarus gammarus) hatchery in collaboration with local fishermen. While European lobsters are high-fecundity spawners, natural larval survival rates are extremely low, with a tiny fraction reaching adulthood under wild conditions. Oceanworld’s hatchery addresses this by rearing larvae through multiple developmental stages before releasing them into Dingle Bay, significantly improving survival prospects. Reintroducing juveniles at various stages optimises settlement success and maximises contribution to the local population, thus benefiting both the marine ecosystem and the local fishing community.

Oceanworld also plays an important role in sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation in Ireland, caring for stranded individuals throughout their recovery until they are fit for release.  

Pictures: Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) banner and post; European lobster (Homarus gammarus) hatchery © Dingle Oceanwold Aquarium

Blog post by Maria Foley (Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium) and Merel Zimmermann (EAZA Executive Office), 2 March 2026