Science Response 2017/022

2016 Stock Status Update of Lobster (Homarus americanus) in the Bay of Fundy (Lobster Fishing Areas 35-38)

Context

The status of the lobster resource in the Bay of Fundy (Lobster Fishing Areas [LFAs] 35-38) to the end of the 2011-12 seasons was assessed in February 2013 (DFO 2013, Gaudette et al. 2014, Tremblay et al. 2013) and has been updated annually since 2014 (e.g. DFO 2014).  It will be assessed again in 2018 as per the multi-year assessment schedule.  Fisheries Management has requested "interim information on the status of LFAs 35-38 lobster stocks to maintain the scientific basis for management advice consistent with DFO’s Precautionary Approach (PA)".  The PA defined in the 2013 assessment identified three key indicators that capture changes in lobster abundance and biomass, and proposed reference points for each indicator.  This Science Response updates these indicators to the end of the 2014-15 fishing season.

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of September 16, 2016, on the Stock Status Update of American Lobster in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 35-38.

Complete document (PDF, 292 KB)

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