American lobster: persistence in the face of high, size-selective, fishing mortality — a perspective from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Comeau, Michel; Hanson, John Mark

doi:10.1139/cjfas-2017-0374

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Lobsters tend to migrate from shallow waters to the north of PEI before and during winter to avoid ice at the sea bottom. They later return to warmer waters in the Northumberland Strait when the ice melts in the spring and do not move much from summer to winter (Comeau and Hanson, 2018). This may explain the larger number of lobsters caught in LFA 25 that occurred during the fall lobster fishing season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Alternative Baits in Prince Edward Island, Canada Lobster Fishery

2020

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The American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery is an economically important commercial activity in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. This fishery requires substantial amounts of bait, resulting in an emerging conservation challenge. To address this issue, an alternative lobster bait, manufactured using fresh and process pelagic fish, and dehydrated fish, corresponding to 75% less fresh pelagic fish than traditional bait has been developed by Bait Masters Inc. The performance of the alternative bait compared to that of the traditional bait was evaluated in a field study. This field trial was conducted in eight lobster fishing bays around PEI, during the 2019 lobster fishing seasons. Bait effectiveness was assessed based on catch-per-unit-effort (total lobsters and number of legal-sized lobsters caught per trap), and the ability to produce a catch. An average of five lobsters per trap were caught for both alternative and traditional baits. The results showed that both lobster bait types performed equally well in all PEI lobster fishing areas studied. This indicates that the alternative bait is a viable replacement for traditional bait, allowing the lobster fishery industry to address the bait-species shortage and ongoing conservation challenge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Alternative Baits in Prince Edward Island, Canada Lobster Fishery

2020

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“…Restricting harvest to a limited range of ages (or sizes) can provide long-term sustainability even at high rates of fishing mortality (Reed 1980). Harvest slot length restrictions as applied in recreational angling and Maine lobster fisheries typically outperform minimum length limit rules (Comeau and Hanson 2018;Ahrens et al 2020). However, improvements in fishing technology sometimes increase the numbers of species caught and result in serial depletions of fish stocks (Berkes et al 2006).…”

Section: History Of Values In Fisheries Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish, Fishing, and Conservation

Orth¹

2023

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People, places, and approaches to fishing are as varied as the diverse fish fauna that exist on the planet. As conservation planners recognize the value of substantial engagement of stakeholders in decision making and ineffectiveness of rigid topdown management approaches, Fish, Fishing, and Conservation asserts that all peoples must play a role in conservation. Through case studies, engaging narrative and graphics, and exercises, the 413-page, undergraduate-level text explores major motivations for fishing and non-fishing related values, responsible fisheries practices, the rights of all people to decide how to manage and conserve fish, their habitats, and how they are utilized. For many fishes, overfishing remains a pressing global problem for which appropriate solutions are not easily found nor implemented.Introductory chapters examine fish, fishing, and why fish matter and examine the role of values in driving conservation initiatives. Fish and their unique sensory capabilities are described along with a review of recent studies to examine issues of pain, sentience, and learning in fishes living in a foreign, underwater world. The text incorporates new findings in conservation and management leading readers to put

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Decrease in size at maturity of female American lobsters Homarus americanus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Decapoda: Astacidea: Nephropidae) over a 50-year period in Maine, USA

Waller

Reardon

Caron

et al. 2019

Journal of Crustacean Biology

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The size at which female American lobsters Homarus americanus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) reach maturity was determined for females collected from inshore (< 3 nautical miles, or 5.5 km) Boothbay Harbor (BBH), Maine, USA in 2018. A total of 272 females were collected during a three-week period in the spring and each female was assigned a maturity status (immature or mature) based on ovarian staging. These determinations were then compared to two similar female-maturity studies undertaken in BBH by the Maine Department of Marine Resources over the last 50 years. The comparison revealed that the length at which 50% of females reach maturity has decreased by 5 mm over the last 25 years and a significant difference between maturity ogives generated over time in BBH. Cement-gland stage was also recorded for all females and further analysis revealed no significant difference between maturity ogives generated using ovarian and cement-gland staging. Results indicate that cement-gland staging is an effective maturity assessment method in female lobsters from this region. Because there is a well-documented relationship between temperature and size at maturity in crustaceans, we also examined changes in sea-surface temperature during this period in BBH. We found that the region has warmed significantly over this period of time with extreme high temperatures occurring more frequently during the last 25 years. Our results can be used to update key parameters in the stock-assessment model related to growth and egg production in the Gulf of Maine/George’s Bank stock. These findings can also be used to inform future management decisions related to the carapace length of harvested lobsters and the preservation of mature females.

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American lobster: persistence in the face of high, size-selective, fishing mortality — a perspective from the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Cited by 5 publications

References 56 publications

Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Alternative Baits in Prince Edward Island, Canada Lobster Fishery

Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Alternative Baits in Prince Edward Island, Canada Lobster Fishery

Fish, Fishing, and Conservation

Decrease in size at maturity of female American lobsters Homarus americanus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) (Decapoda: Astacidea: Nephropidae) over a 50-year period in Maine, USA

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