Determination of the potential spatial overlap and interaction between commercial fisheries (American Lobster, Snow Crab) and finfish aquaculture activities in Connaigre Bay, Newfoundland

Description

There is rarely an opportunity to collect and compare ecological data before, during and after a salmon farming site has been approved and under production. This four year project will allow for the collection of environmental and biological data at two newly approved salmon aquaculture sites in Connaigre Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador – a bay that has not yet held salmon production sites. Pertinent data will be collected prior to the sites being established and during the full production cycle, as well as during the fallow period. In the siting area, there is particular concern for alterations to crab and lobster habitat and resulting changes in habitat utilization, as a result this research will also examine potential changes in the benthic environment that could potentially impact lobster and snow crab populations.

The ultimate goal of the research project will be to identify any measurable impacts caused by the introduction of fish farming on the commercial species currently harvested in Connaigre Bay.

The outcomes of this project will provide valuable information that will inform future site development initiatives and contribute to the sustainability of both fishing and the fish farming industry on the south coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2012 - 2016

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Newfoundland, Labrador Shelves

Principal Investigator(s)

Gehan Mabrouk
Email: Gehan.Mabrouk@dfo-mpo.gc.ca