Science Response 2015/030

2015 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 was updated in 2014 (DFO 2014).  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 Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s (DFO) Precautionary Approach (PA)”.  The PA defined in the 2013 assessment identified three key indicators that capture changes in lobster abundance and proposed reference points for each indicator.  This Science Response updates these indicators to the end of the 2013-14 fishing season. For assessment purposes, LFAs 35-38 are evaluated collectively as one unit.

This Science Response Report results from the Science Response Process of June 3, 2015, on the Stock Status Update of American Lobster in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 35-38.

Complete document (PDF, 330 KB)

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