NAFO Division 4R Lobster Sampling and Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE)

Description

Located off the west coast of Newfoundland, the lobster stock in NAFO ^{Footnote 1} Division 4R is one of the main drivers of Newfoundland and Labrador’s commercial lobster fishery. Preliminary estimates of reported landings in 4R were about 873 tonnes in 2013. To date, however, there has been little verified data available for the lobster fishery along many parts of the coast. To inform the evaluation of fishery performance and assess the status of American Lobster stock in these areas, this project will implement a scientifically sound at-sea sampling program for lobster fisheries in these bays, along with a program to collect biological and catch and effort data from harvesters’ logbooks.

Repeated sampling will be carried out aboard boats representing at least 20 to 25 percent of the license holders in each area to ensure good coverage of the fishing area throughout the season. Some modified traps will also be used by harvesters to prevent the escape of undersized lobster in order to gather a large amount of biological data such as lobster size and sex, as well as the presence of eggs and v-notched females (egg-bearing females marked to prevent their harvest). Ocean bottom temperatures will be collected wherever possible. Other goals include developing a reliable recruitment ^{Footnote 2} index and providing analysis of the data for the regional assessment process.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2004 - Present

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Newfoundland, Labrador Shelves

Principal Investigator(s)

Donald Stansbury
Fisheries and Oceans Canada