American lobster

The stock status of American lobster in Quebec and the Northern Gulf of St Lawrence is unknown relative to reference points. There is no concern for the biomass due to an increase in catch per unit effort (CPUE) and no concern for fishing pressure.Reference points are not available for this stock. Therefore, route 2 (data limited) scoring has been used. This rating also covers multiple Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs), each with its own stock assessment. Quebec and Northern Gulf of St Lawrence includes LFAs 15-22. American lobster has a medium - high vulnerability to fishing pressure (0.46).Stock assessments throughout the LFAs generally show an increasing catch per unit effort (CPUE) in recent years and CPUE values have been above the 25 year average. Therefore, there is no concern for biomass.Fishing pressure indicators could not be estimated for this area. Exploitation remains high but this is not thought to be having an impact on the stock and there is no evidence to show concern for fishing pressure.There has been a decrease in size of lobsters in the fishery, however, this is thought to be due to an increased recruitment of smaller lobsters into the fishery.

There are trap limits and a minimum size limit in place, however, management would benefit from a better understanding of the stock and harvest control rules.Canadian lobster fisheries are managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Lobster stocks are assessed by 45 Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs). In this area, the lobster fishery is managed using fishing effort controls to regulate the number of licenses, number and size of traps and the duration of the fishing season.Management measures per area:LFA 15 - 12 fishing weeks, minimum size of 82 mm carapace length (CL). There are 39-51 active licenses, each with 175 large/250 small/175 mixed traps.LFA 16 - 12 fishing weeks, minimum size of 82 mm carapace length (CL). There are 8 active licenses, each with 175 large/250 small/175 mixed traps.LFA 17A - 11 fishing weeks, minimum size of 83 mm carapace length (CL). There is 1 license, with 35 large/50 small/35 mixed traps.LFA 17B - 11 fishing weeks, minimum size of 83 mm carapace length (CL). There are 15 active licenses, each with 210 large/300 small/210 mixed traps.LFA 18 - 11 fishing weeks, minimum size of 83 mm carapace length (CL). There are 8 licenses, each with 175 large/250 small/175 mixed traps.LFA 19 - 71 fishing days, minimum size of 83 mm CL and maximum size of 150 mm CL. There are 8 licenses, each with up to 250 traps.LFA 20 - 69 fishing days, minimum 82.55 mm CL and maximum size of 145 mm CL. There are 140 licenses, each with between 235-435 traps (some with license mergers)LFA 21 - 69 fishing days, minimum 82.55 mm CL and maximum size of 150 mm CL. There are 13 licenses, each with between 235-335 traps (some with license mergers)LFA 22 - 9 fishing weeks, minimum 83 mm CL (no maximum). There are 325 licenses, each with up to 273 traps.All traps have escape vents to allow undersize lobsters to escape.V-notching of lobsters requires removing a V-shaped piece of exoskeleton from the uropod (inner tail flap) of female lobsters of reproductive size which are carrying eggs, then returning the lobster to the sea. This allows other fishermen to know not to land this lobster as it is reproducing. V-notching has been shown to be successful at protecting egg-bearing females from fishing mortality. However, while the release of v-notched lobsters is mandatory, v-notching in this area is voluntary. There is also a ban on landing any egg-bearing lobsters.The North Atlantic right whale (NARW) is listed as Endangered under the Canadian federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). Canada has a suite of fisheries measures and initiatives in place in Atlantic Canada and Quebec to prevent entanglements. In 2019, new management measures to minimise the risk of interactions with North Atlantic right whale were announced. This includes adjusting the area closed to snow crab, lobster fisheries and all other non-tended fixed-gear fisheries to include the area where 90% of the North Atlantic Right Whale were sighted last year during the prime fishing season. If a North Atlantic Right Whale is seen in waters between the 10 and 20 fathom shallow water protocol lines, a temporary closure will occur and license holders will be required to move their fishing gear close to the coast. No surface floating rope attaching a trap to a primary buoy, or to another trap, is permitted after a trap has been set. All gear must be clearly identified and any lost gear must be reported within 72 hours of discovery. Since the management measures were introduced, there is not thought to be any reported North Atlantic Right Whales bycatch in Canadian waters.There are Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified lobster fisheries in this area. The Gaspésie lobster trap spring fishery incorporates all 163 license holders in LFAs 19-21. The Iles-de-la-Madeleine lobster fishery incorporates all 325 license holders in LFA 21. Both certifications have a condition in place that 'the client shall provide evidence that the combined effects of the MSC Units of Assessment on the North Atlantic right whale are known and are highly likely to be within the national limit'.

In the Gulf of St Lawrence, entanglement in vertical lines used in trap fishing gear is likely leading to the decline of the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whales (NARW) in Atlantic Canada.In Canada, lobsters are caught in traps, and can be fished individually or as part of a fleet of up to several hundred pots, depending on the size of the boat and crew, and license restrictions. Pots are portable traps made of wood or steel wire and plastic. The lobster is baited into the initial part (the chamber) and moves into the secondary part (the parlour) where it becomes trapped.Habitat impacts from potting are low but can occur during deployment, soak time or hauling of the pot, impacting the benthic habitat and associated species through contact with the pot or end weight, or by scouring from ropes. Research that has taken place suggests that while some damage does occur to the sediment, it is unlikely to be significant unless potting intensity is high (defined as approximately 30 pots per 500 square metres). Most damage occurs where traps are set in rocky habitats that are home to corals, sponges, sea whips and other large emergent species. These habitats and species provide nursery areas, refuges from predators and habitat for the settlement of invertebrate spat.Pot fisheries tend to be highly selective as undersized animals can be returned to the sea alive and survival rates for non-target organisms are thought to be high. More than half of the bycatch caught are predicted to survive, although there is little available research to prove this. Measures to further reduce bycatch include the use of escape panels to allow undersize animals and bycatch to escape pots. In some circumstances, there can be instances of ghost fishing, when lost fishing gear continues to fish and can entangle a variety of species, but this can be minimised by using appropriate gear and release devices.Entanglement in vertical lines used in pot fishing gear is thought to be one of the main threats to the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale (NARW). NARW migrates annually from calving grounds in the southeastern U.S. to feeding grounds in Atlantic Canada, where it is most commonly found in the Gulf of St Lawrence. NARW have rarely been reported in the Newfoundland and Labrador region and in the East Cape Breton region, although there is a lack of observer coverage and they may be found in these areas in the future. Population estimates of NARW vary, and recent literature suggests that there were fewer than 350 in 2020, with fewer than 100 reproductive-age females. With so few breeding individuals, the death of a single animal from any cause could pose a threat to the continued existence of the species.More than 90% of NARW entanglements are not identifiable to gear. In 2017, 12 NARW mortalities were known to have occurred in Canadian waters (all in the Gulf of St Lawrence), with both entanglements and ship strikes identified to be causes for mortalities. Only one of the whales had gear present when examined. Rope strengths in the pot fishery have increased in recent decades due to manufacturing, which could reduce the ability to breakaway when entangled in gear.Since management measures were introduced in 2018, the number of NARW mortalities in Canadian waters is thought to have decreased. In 2018, no NARW mortalities were recorded in Canadian waters. In 2019, a total of 9 NARW were found dead in Canadian waters but the cause is unknown (necropsies attributed vessel strikes to 4 out of 5 whales that were examined). No mortalities have been reported for 2020 and 2021 however there has been one report in each of 2021 and 2022 of a NARW seen alive with gear entangled. Management targets in Canada are for zero NARW deaths and it is thought that the recent measures introduced have been effective in helping reach that target.