Stock structure and seasonal distribution patterns of American lobster, Homarus americanus, inferred through movement analyses

Bowlby, Heather D.; Hanson, John Mark; Hutchings, Jeffrey A.

doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2007.11.005

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Based on seasonal trawl surveys, Windowpanes appear to move a relatively short distance offshore in autumn and return to the coastal zone in early spring . A similar, short-distance seasonal migration to deeper water from the coastal zone was recently documented for acoustically tagged American lobster released along the north shore of Prince Edward Island and in the Strait (Bowlby et al 2007(Bowlby et al , 2008.…”

Section: Downloaded By [Mcgill University Library] At 23:45 20 Novembsupporting

confidence: 74%

Abundance, Distribution, and Diet of a Small‐Bodied Ecotype of Windowpane

Hanson

Wilson²

2014

Trans Am Fish Soc

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Windowpanes Scophthalmus aquosus were collected during demersal trawl surveys in Northumberland Strait in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, during July and August 2001–2012. Abundance indices showed relatively little variation between years. Windowpanes were widely distributed in the strait, with 95% of the population occurring in water <23m deep and with a temperature of >9.5°C. The Windowpanes collected were small, all <30cm total length. Fish of all sizes fed mainly on sevenspine bay shrimp Crangon septemspinosa, followed by mysids and (for fish >20cm) sand lances Ammodytes spp. and juvenile Atlantic Herring Harengus harengus. Small (<10‐cm) individuals also ate crab megalops larvae. The mysids consumed on sandy–gravel substrates were Mysis spp.; those consumed on mud bottom were mainly Neomysis americana. Cannibalism was low, consisting of two individuals <1.6cm.

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Section: Downloaded By [Mcgill University Library] At 23:45 20 Novembsupporting

confidence: 74%

Abundance, Distribution, and Diet of a Small‐Bodied Ecotype of Windowpane

Hanson

Wilson²

2014

Trans Am Fish Soc

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“…Within the Atlantic Ocean, American lobster populations demonstrate a mosaic of generally predictable movement patterns and varying degrees of site fidelity. Seasonally, the majority of the individuals in many populations will move from shallow inshore feeding areas to deeper, offshore winter refuges, especially where inshore shelter is limited [ 3 , 4 , 18 , 40 ]. However, populations will have individuals that may not undertake this seasonal movement [ 3 ], and the Bras d’Or Lake lobsters we tagged clearly did not leave the Lake for the Atlantic Ocean to overwinter.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat and movement selection processes of American lobster/jakej within a restricted bay in the Bras d’Or Lake/Pitu’paq, Nova Scotia, Canada

Landovskis,

Bailey,

Iverson

et al. 2024

Mov Ecol

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American lobster inhabit the unique, brackish Bras d’Or Lake system, although densities are low compared to areas with similar habitats in the Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, lobsters are an important part of local First Nation (Mi’kmaq) food and culture. We used acoustic telemetry and habitat mapping, combined with local Mi’kmaw knowledge, to document the movements and habitat use of adult lobsters within a section of the Lake. Movement patterns of acoustically tagged individual lobsters were analyzed with both resource selection functions and integrated step selection functions using data obtained from a high-resolution VEMCO Positioning System within a restricted bay in the Bras d’Or Lake. The resource selection function suggested stronger selections of substrates that contained a combination of soft and hard sediments. While the integrated step selection functions found substantial individual variability in habitat selections, there was a trend for lobsters to exhibit more resident behaviour on the combined soft/hard substrates despite the fact these sediments provided little in the way of obvious shelters for the animals. Adult lobsters at this site have very little risk of predation, which presumably allows them to freely exhibit exploratory behaviours and reduce their association with substrates that provide shelters.

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“…Subregion 25S is shallower than 25N, which means sea ice in winter frequently makes contact with the bottom (Ennis 1984;Brown et al 2001;Obert and Brown 2011), and a portion of the large-adult population moves out of subregion 25S and into 25N during autumn, returning in spring as the water warms (Bowlby et al 2007(Bowlby et al , 2008den Heyer et al 2009). In contrast, those lobsters tagged in subregion 25N and elsewhere in the sGSL move much shorter distances from summer to winter; basically they move to deeper water just prior to ice formation (Bergeron 1967;Munro and Therriault 1983;Comeau and Savoie 2002a).…”

Section: Field Studies On Effects Of Fishery On Sgsl Lobstermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The American lobster is a large-bodied decapod crustacean with a long lifespan and indeterminate growth, and it supports a highly lucrative nearshore fishery in the sGSL (and elsewhere). During ice-free months, lobsters only occur in the coastal waters of the sGSL; however, larger animals often undertake short movements from the inshore habitat to waters >40 m depths during early winter (Comeau and Savoie 2002a;Bowlby et al 2007Bowlby et al , 2008, presumably to avoid contact with ice or ice crystals (Ennis 1984;Lawton and Lavalli 1995). Lobsters do not feed actively during the period of ice cover (Ennis 1973).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Comeau

Hanson

2018

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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The American lobster (Homarus americanus) population in southern Gulf of St. Lawrence has long been subjected to high exploitation, and yet its population is currently at a high and increasing abundance level. The lobster fishery management is based on effort-control, with a short season, mandatory release of egg-bearing females, and strict enforcement of regulations. Another important factor is the high survival of lobster returned to the water. The combination of a minimum legal size limit and either an upper size limit for females or an effective size limit due to entrance-ring size on the traps has resulted in a slot fishery after which the larger, most fecund animals have low vulnerability to the fishery. These efforts to protect large individuals have had a positive effect on lobster larval production, which may lead to even higher adult population numbers. Comparisons with the management of snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) quota-based fisheries were made to try to explain the different trajectories that these three species’ populations have taken since the 1960s.

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Stock structure and seasonal distribution patterns of American lobster, Homarus americanus, inferred through movement analyses

Cited by 10 publications

References 64 publications

Abundance, Distribution, and Diet of a Small‐Bodied Ecotype of Windowpane

Abundance, Distribution, and Diet of a Small‐Bodied Ecotype of Windowpane

Habitat and movement selection processes of American lobster/jakej within a restricted bay in the Bras d’Or Lake/Pitu’paq, Nova Scotia, Canada

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

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