Fishery-Independent Lobster Population Structure

Description

This collaborative project between Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Maritime Fishermen’s Union will carry out diving surveys at several sites in the southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence to gather fishery-independent data for lobster stock assessment and Precautionary Approach ^{Footnote 1} purposes. Key goals of the project are to:

• measure lobster density and length, as well as to monitor changes over time;
• develop a recruitment ^{Footnote 2} computer model of lobster, which could be used for stock assessment and, hopefully, to predict lobster landings; and
• use the model output as indices of abundance and production.

The research will improve understanding of the status of lobster stocks, key ecosystem processes, and the biology of exploited marine species. This will inform existing and prospective conservation measures for lobster and other commercial species, and provide support for ecosystem-based management decisions.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2014 - 2017

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Michel Comeau
Fisheries and Oceans Canada