Acquisition of data on lobster populations for the development of a precautionary approach and ecocertification of the lobster fisheries

Description

This project aims to continue the collection of data on lobster populations in the Magdalen Islands and in the Gaspé, which began in the mid-1980s. The project will provide essential information for developing lobster stock status indicators. It will also ensure that the data time series are not interrupted. The indicators will potentially be used to develop a precautionary approach ^{Footnote 1} to manage the stocks, a requirement for ecocertification of the fisheries. On the international and Canadian markets, there are increasing demands for seafood that come from fisheries that have been ecocertified.

Sampling is carried out three times during the fishing season (at the beginning, midway through and at the end) at a number of fishing sites in the Magdalen Islands and in the Gaspé. The data collected (the number, size and sex of commercial and sub-legal lobsters, the number and size of berried females, and the developmental stage of their eggs) will be used to develop abundance and productivity indicators for lobster stocks. The data will be included in the databases and incorporated into the next lobster stock assessment. The project will help to improve knowledge about the status and productivity of the lobster fishery in these regions and guide decisions on the conservation of this valuable fishery resource.

Program Name

Fisheries Science Collaborative Program (FSCP)

Year(s)

2011 - 2015

Ecoregion(s)

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

Principal Investigator(s)

Louise Gendron
Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Co-Leader(s)

Léonard Poirier
Association des pêcheurs propriétaires des Îles-de-la-Madeleine (APPIM)

O'Neil Cloutier
Regroupement des pêcheurs professionnels de homard du sud de la Gaspésie